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NOVEL WAYS OF 

ENTERTAINING 



BY 

FLORENCE HULL WINTERBURN 

AND OTHERS 




HARPER &> BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 

NEW YORK AND LONDON 

MCMXIV 



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COPYRIGHT. 1914, BY HARPER & BROTHERS 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
PUBLISHED MAY. 1914 

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©C1,A374043 



CONTENTS 



CHAP. PAGE 

Foreword v 

I. The Modern Spirit of Hospitality . i 

II. Afternoon Tea 19 

III. Dinner-giving in a Large and Small 

Way 41 

IV. Informal Little Novelties .... 64 

V. The Oriental Way 82 

I. the CHINESE dinner. II. THE CHI- 
NESE TEA. 

VI. Outdoor Entertainments loi 

I. dining on the roof. II. HUNT 
AND golf luncheons. III. BEACH 
SPREADS. 

VII. The Question of Decorations . . . 120 

VIII. For the Children 138 

I. children's luncheons, ii. birth- 
day dinners. III. QUAINT nursery 
fetes. IV. POPULAR GAMES, OLD 
AND NEW. 

IX. Novelties in Breakfasts and Suppers 160 



CONTENTS 

CHAP. PAGE 

X. The New Dances and the Younger 

Generation 174 

I. the tango, turkey - trotting and 

BUNNY-HUGGING. II. THE LATEST 
PARISIAN CRAZE. III. THE CONTRO- 
VERSY. IV. PAGEANTRY. 

XI. Simple Recreations 200 

I. GOING A-GIP3YING. II. A WINTER SPORT. 

III. PRETTY SNOW AND ICE SPORT. 

IV. SHALL WE FLY? 



FOREWORD 

THIS is not intended to be a book of 
etiquette, nor of instruction in enter- 
taining as a fine art. It is supposed that 
most women of the present day know well 
the old formula of doing the right thing 
by guests, which is to ''show hospitality 
without grudging." That canon of our 
forefathers is still the one guide of un- 
fashionable quarters. But the endeavor 
of the writer is to bring an ancient idea 
down to a later day and generation, to 
take account of recent innovations in the 
social world, and, consequently, to make a 
serviceable little book for those who like 
novelty and search for something newer 
and more original. 

A critic said of one book that was written 
to help that it * ' was what we all might have 
know had we been as industrious as the 
writer in hunting out new inventions and 
ideas." It is the humble hope of the au- 
thor that some illuminating ideas are in 
these pages. F. H. W. 



NOVEL WAYS 
OF ENTERTAINING 



NOVEL WAYS 
OF ENTERTAINING 



THE MODERN SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY 

'"T^HE old order changeth, giving place to 
A new." In nothing is this more evi- 
dent than in the matter of entertaining. 
The modem fancy is to crowd as much as 
possible into the day, to do many differ- 
ent things instead of taking time to one 
thing. We are constantly accused by 
foreigners of taking our amusements seri- 
ously; but it is much nearer the truth to 
say that we take them intensely, throwing 
into them our whole hearts and minds. 
They are not interludes in work, for we 
work at them. Whether it is a better way, 



2 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

an improvement on the leisurely mode of 
our grandparents, is scarcely an essential 
query; the mode is here, and we have to 
subscribe to it. 

To entertain friends at dinner or lunch- 
eon in the staid old way, with plenty of 
good things to eat and drink and conversa- 
tion to while away the time, is far too little 
for the modern hostess. The feasting is 
now the least part of the feast. Unless 
there is the promise of something to come 
after that, ennui sets in before the first 
course is removed. To keep up the spirits 
of one's guests there should be a hint of 
some mysterious delight in store ; a whisper 
of a new feature either in the dramatic or 
musical line or else in the satisfying method 
that is at present most in harmony with our 
tastes — an outdoor recreation. 

Taking a hint, perhaps, from the ac- 
cepted ''hunt lunch," we have introduced 
the "golf lunch," and now the French pas- 
sion for outdoor life has caught our fancy, 
and the country-club idea is a rage with us. 
To sip tea out of doors after the game of 
golf or tennis is something appealing to the 
fancy for the charmingly unconventional. 



MODERN SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY 3 

under the most conventional surroundings, 
be it understood. There must be the ac- 
companiment of every luxtuy in the way of 
up-to-date service, exquisite toilets, and 
delicacies to eat. It is carrying out the 
naive plea of Marie Antoinette for sim- 
plicity as she tmderstood it at Little 
Trianon, and with the Watteau shep- 
herdess costume readily replaceable at an 
instant's notice by the splendid toilet of 
ceremony. 

The majority of new amusements are 
thought out in the summer, when the days 
are long, and lying in a hammock planning 
the winter campaign is an amusement in 
itself. Then they are tried, stamped with 
the mark of ''society," and adopted little 
by little throughout this country and else- 
where. Sometimes they are disputed, inch 
by inch, by conservative people, but gain 
ground as disapproval of their novelty 
gives way before the resistless march of 
progress. The introducer of an innova- 
tion must fight against envy, but, after all, 
envy only helps instead of hindering, for 
it provokes imitation. To be imitated is 
to have achieved success. But it straight- 



4 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

way incites the original mind to new 
efforts, for as soon as a thing gets known 
generally something better must be origi- 
nated for the elect. The desire to be in 
the lead is the most stimulating incentive 
known to human nature. It makes the 
pleasure of ''the game" in enjoyments as 
in business. It turns even the most 
strenuous work into play, fiercely pursued, 
but containing the element of happiness to 
ambitious spirits. 

A talent for originality is not sufficient 
to make a good hostess — that goes without 
saying. It is not the mountebank who 
wins the genuine praise of the initiated, but 
the real wit who has the gift of magnetism 
— ^that is, of sympathy with what is human 
and lasting — and can touch the heart of an 
audience. Is it not the drama that can 
move to tears that remains on the boards 
the longest ? And is it not the woman who 
loves her kind who keeps their affection, 
who draws people to her whether she is 
rich in this world's goods or fortune turns 
its back and leaves her little resource be- 
yond her delightful personality ? 

Madame Recamier received her friends 



MODERN SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY 5 

with the same grace in her shabby brick- 
floored Httle room — all that reverses al- 
lowed her — as when she had queened it in 
her almost royal mansion in the Faubourg 
Saint - Germaine. Nor did they gather 
less eagerly there than in her beautiful 
home, because she retained in her poverty 
the same charm, the same qualities that 
had made her the most-sought woman in 
Paris. The essential thing to successful 
entertaining is that instinctive knowledge 
of and sympathy with human nature which 
enables one to put people at their ease and 
make them happy. Given that, the rest 
is merely a question of the particular way 
of making them happy which is most 
suitable to the occasion and the hour. 
Without the hospitable gift — the charm — 
the most wonderful methods are as ineffi- 
cacious in popularizing a hostess as were 
those magnificent dinners of the Veneer- 
ings that Dickens satirized in one of his 
happiest veins when he described how the 
guests always addressed their remarks to 
one another and ignored completely the 
people who were paying for the feast. 
An egotistical hostess who gives dinners 



6 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

merely to show off her house and wealth 
may get a crowd of people together in her 
home, but they will not pay her the com- 
pliment of enjoying themselves. They 
will come to eat and drink and leave to 
criticize, especially if something in her 
style may be attacked upon the score of 
being slightly bizarre. To carry off a 
novelty requires the aplomb of unques- 
tioned respect. In England a fine god- 
mother is sought for an innovation, else the 
new-born falls into disgrace. Not that the 
English are timid, as the French sometimes 
claim to be — there is a delightful article in 
the Apropos d'un Parisien on the subject, 
from which I must just quote a sentence or 
so later on — ^but they are stiff, and have to 
get the habit of new postures by imitation 
of the great. 

The Parisian says, **When you are afraid, 
go and consult Mademoiselle Carmen. 
After that nothing will appear too daring. 
This is a recipe for curing the most ob- 
stinate timidity in three days." Well, in 
America we have not the Carmen con- 
tinually at hand, but we have certain 
grand dames as magnificently liberal in 



MODERN SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY 7 

ideas and acts. The recitals of Newport 
doings are most enlightening, most liberat- 
ing. But slavish imitation is humiliating, 
and usually a failure, too. Let a little 
variation of the first idea come about in 
your carrying out of a plan of entertain- 
ment. One touch of originality is worth a 
stack of conventions. 

One of the latest things being talked 
of now is the intention of a number of 
society people at Newport and Narragan- 
sett to form a club for flying. Hydro- 
planes have been purchased and instructors 
engaged, and perhaps by the time this 
book goes to press the popular amusement 
will have become ''aviation lunches," with 
a fleet of aircraft floating down upon the 
casinos for a morning of fun in the surf 
and a lunch, followed by a game of polo 
at the Point Judith Polo Club. But aprdsf 
We may image the clique tossing their heads 
upon feverish pillows by night in the vain 
effort to devise something beyond, still 
more novel. Are there enough new things 
to last out their lifetimes? If not, then 
farewell to pleasure, for all palls and be- 
comes vapid after a single season of trial* 



8 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

This Athenianizing of our Western Hem- 
isphere — seeking some new thing every 
day — ^has one singular result. Exhausting 
ingenious devices, we are thrown back upon 
amusements more naij and primitive. We 
may have to accept a suggestion or two 
from over the way, in London, where they 
have been watching the children play the 
old folk-games and have become eager to 
try them for themselves. 

So the modern theory of entertaining is 
altogether different from the old-time one, 
because we now undertake so much more 
in the line of amusing guests. There are 
few single functions, simple and limited; 
one thing conceals another within itself, 
and to untwine the meaning of an invita- 
tion is often a delicious species of excite- 
ment, like finding the path of a labyrinth. 

However exciting the entertainment in 
hand may be to guests, there is one person 
who should be as unmoved as the Sphinx — 
the hostess. I almost said that there 
must be another — the butler. But that 
goes without saying. If the mistress of 
the mansion can but achieve the complete 
calm and dignity of that functionary she 



MODERN SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY 9 

need ask no more of herself. American 
nervousness is apt to manifest itself in the 
effort of entertaining until long habit has 
made it second nature. The giri who has 
had the great advantage of growing up in 
a home where hospitality was graciously 
practised enters into her kingdom as a 
young matron with little to learn. Whether 
her environment has been modest or mag- 
nificent, the one essential maxim will have 
been well learned, that the first and chief 
thing in the art of entertaining is to — 
entertain. That is, to give forth the 
measure of enjoyment that guests have the 
right to expect; to be hospitable in the 
true sense of subordinating for the time 
being her own wishes and preferences to 
theirs, of carrying out the wonderful 
maxim that has never grown obsolete, of 
"seeking not her own," but seeking with 
zest and zeal whatever may promote their 
pleasure. 

It is admitted everywhere that American 
women are wonderfully adaptable, with a 
savoir faire that enables the country-bred 
little Westerner to bridge the gap between 
some obscure village and a great European 



lo NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

capital when her husband becomes an am- 
bassador. How well she acquits herself, 
what success attends the social career upon 
which she enters with secret fear and trem- 
bling, but with a brave frontiand the mem- 
ory of a heroic ancestry to steady her nerves ! 
We call ourselves a practical people, but 
if the secret social history of our prominent 
officials were written out and the truth 
told about the struggles and triumphs over 
difficulties of their wives and daughters no 
recital of old romance could compare with 
the chronicle. The American is the most 
social creature in the world. Plant her in 
Nicaragua or China, and she becomes an 
influence, her home a center. She com- 
mits solecisms through ignorance of tradi- 
tions, but is pardoned because of her au- 
dacity and her good nature. More than 
that, she is loved because into the fiat and 
tepid atmosphere of old societies she in- 
troduces fresh enthusiasm and new ideas. 
Stagnation is her horror. She must and 
will have friends about her and something 
going on. And she has that fine gift of re- 
combining from the limited number of 
amusements and occupations in the world 



MODERN SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY ii 

something agreeably novel which makes 
her the envy and admiration of slower 
nations. 

The Englishman is the perfect host — 
self-effacing, patient, liberal toward both 
the idiosyncrasies and the appetites of his 
guests. But the British matron is a trifle 
overwhelming in her state, less adaptable 
than our women or the gracious, tactful 
women of France. What is this ''tact" so 
lauded everywhere, so hard to formulate, 
so difficult to attain ? I think it is nothing 
more nor less than the desire to give pleas- 
ure to others, trained to appropriate ex- 
pression. Back of it is something even 
rarer and finer, the thing that makes the 
other genuine, and that elevates it as the 
creature of race is elevated beyond a par- 
venue imitator: delicate consideration of 
others, regardless of their position or their 
power to render to us benefits in return. 
This is the thing that must be ingrained in 
a child, drilled into it early, and made a 
habit of life, if the man or woman is to suc- 
ceed in society. ' 'Noblesse oblige' ' is a maxim 
that can never go out of date while women 
cherish tender sentiments or men have a 



12 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

fellow-feeling for their kind. It teaches 
that one should not overwhelm acquaint- 
ances with lavishness, not be a snob. The 
reserve that keeps back the suggestion of 
too much superiority of position is better 
taste. It inspires a wish to set the awk- 
ward guest at his ease, to help the gawky 
youth to be his best self, to send people 
forth from our house with agreeable mem- 
ories stirring in them of having passed 
some of the happiest hours of their lives. 

To divine the special bent of strangers 
and lead the talk in that direction, to give 
the smile that can unlock shy hearts, the 
sympathetic glance that may warm a cold 
nature is the great gift that marks out a 
woman as the natural entertainer, whether 
she possesses the ingenuity that devises odd 
pastimes to amuse or not. That is mere 
knowledge which can be acquired. In- 
spired by the aim of giving pleasure to her 
friends, of making her home a center of the 
higher life, a woman may enter upon the 
occupation of entertaining with confidence 
that a little effort will make her mistress of 
all the modes. 

But to any one whose disposition in- 



MODERN SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY 13 

clines toward general hospitality one sug- 
gestion should be made : there is both dis- 
comfort and danger in the habit of mis- 
cellaneous inviting. We must recollect the 
Mr. Brooke, in George Eliot's Middlemarch, 
whose pen ''trailed off into invitations" 
whenever he wrote a letter; and the Mrs. 
Cadwallader of whom her author, Mrs. 
Humphry Ward, said that "if she talked 
long with an Esquimo or an organ-grinder 
she would end by inviting him to her 
house." 

The more exclusive our home the greater 
the honor of being invited to it. The 
hostess must surrender herself; how can 
she do that if she is indifferent to her 
guests? The man who eats our salt is 
sacred. Consequently we should be cau- 
tious in our selection of idols. 

Patronage is the motive of hospitality 
with persons who are incapable of friend- 
ship. But their flimsy veil of geniality is 
seen through, and they are detested while 
their liberality is exploited by those with 
whom social pleasure is a matter of self- 
interest. Many big dinners are thinly 
disguised speculations; business is frankly 



14 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

talked after the removal of the cloth, and 
the flippancy of an hour slides away under 
the fierce competition of interests like oil 
before flame. But it seems more fitting 
that these affairs should occur in hotels 
than in the sacred privacy of the home. 
There is something indelicate in putting a 
man at disadvantage by radiant hospi- 
tality and then fleecing him in a bargain. 
Hospitality is a gracious privilege, and 
the woman, who so regards it will make the 
most accomplished hostess. One of her 
hardest duties is to never allow herself 
to seem bored. She has to try to see 
something agreeable and sensible in the 
most futile remarks, to supply the spark 
that may kindle dull wits, to be affable and 
charming when weary or discouraged. 
After she has invited a guest, perhaps in a 
moment of mistaken enthusiasm, she dare 
not show disappointment in him. The 
tiresome, ill-bred person whom some social 
change has suddenly made prominent must 
be recognized and humored, should neces- 
sity open her door to him. And, although 
roasted at the fire of her own rashness 
after bringing incongruous persons to- 



MODERN SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY 15 

gether, she must make the best of the 
situation and bring all her diplomacy and 
wit into play to unite such ill-assorted ele- 
ments. Let them fly apart after they 
leave her house, if they will. 

General suavity is her motto; and, 
whether she dispenses a cup of tea on her 
lawn or presides at a banquiet in her Louis 
Quinze drawing-room, the poise of her bear- 
ing must be perfect. No accidents should 
ruffle her, and to any blunder of her ser- 
vants, to any unexpected happening likely 
to mar the harmony of the occasion, she 
must turn a deaf ear. 

The perfect hostess is tindoubtedly born, 
not made. If the old South is not over- 
rated — and her daughters will never admit 
that impeachment — there was the example 
of the national hospitality in its full devel- 
opment and finest flower. Certainly there 
is nothing better than the old-fashioned 
Virginia matron, overflowing with benevo- 
lence, warm-hearted and generous, without 
a suspicion of affectation in her excellent 
humor. Even now that she is deprived 
of service and means in many instances, 
the old spirit is still there, although the 



i6 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

expression of it is curtailed. However, the 
Southern temperament is readjusting itself 
to other climates. Thousands of young 
men and women from the old South have 
come North lately and made homes where 
the liberal disposition of their ancestors, 
encouraged by easier pecuniary conditions, 
flourishes in delightful vigor and freedom. 
We have the bliss in America of con- 
tinually welding opposite traits and tem- 
peraments among our people, so that new 
and better types are ever the aim and hope 
of marriage. The young married woman is 
an interesting object to her acquaintances, 
an unknown social quantity. How will 
she acquit herself of her new duties toward 
society ? What will she add to it, and what 
novelties and improvements will she in- 
troduce? These are the inevitable, al- 
though perhaps unspoken, questions that 
agitate every community on the occasion 
of a new family entering it. The younger 
set will be hopeful of new features, but the 
older ones will appreciate a certain reserve 
and modesty, an adaptability that feels 
its way slowly toward popularity and at- 
tempts no startling innovations. 



MODERN SPIRIT OF HOSPITALITY 17 

It is natural for the newly married 
young woman to be ambitious of retiim- 
ing the civilities extended to her by enter- 
tainments equally elegant, but she will do 
well to hold her hand and be as simple and 
unostentatious as she can. Absolute nat- 
uralness, the cordiality that is simple and 
apparently imstudied, will do more for her 
than a ton of money spent unwisely. Many 
a menage is ruined by attempting too much 
at first and then falling below the level set 
in the beginning. It is the most experi- 
enced worldlings, the people accustomed to 
all the luxuries, who like best the novelty 
of simple little dinners and teas with the 
spice of fresh interest in them. Thack- 
eray tells a nice tale of old Goldstick 
going to dine with his poor friend who 
served up excellent mutton chops himself 
from the stove and popped them on his 
plate piping hot, with an air of bonhomie 
and good-fellowship that amazed and 
startled the millionaire, who, nevertheless, 
enjoyed himself hugely. Something less 
crude will please our modern taste more, 
but the spirit is the same; spontaneous, 
genuine hospitality is the real coin of home 



i8 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

life, and those who receive it are more 
touched than by the splendors of enter- 
tainments that cost the givers efforts they 
make with reluctance and through sacri- 
fice to conventionality. 



II 

AFTERNOON TEA 

DURING the past two hundred and 
fifty years, since a certain astute 
Dutchman introduced from China the 
queer little leaf since become so generally 
popular, almost everything that can be 
said in favor of the gentle beverage dis- 
tilled from it has been said. Every little 
while some alarmist rushes into denuncia- 
tions of the dreadful danger of tannin, says 
that England is in the first stages of that 
lethargy in which China has been drowned 
for generations, and preaches abstinence 
from the terrible herb, but the effect of 
such sermons lasts only until the abstainer 
begins to feel creeping over him that loneli- 
ness and depression which the cup of tea 
was expressly invented to dispel; then, 
presto! the dainty cup is welcomed back 



20 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

as a friend in need, and away with appre- 
hensions. 

Brain-workers have been from the first 
the most zealous advocates of tea as a 
beverage. Of its abuse Dr. Johnson is the 
most woeful example; but of what in the 
way of food excess is not that great 
eccentric an example ? And then his thirty 
cups were like the lies of the baby — 
"such little ones!'' And one pardons glut- 
tony to the maturity of the man 
whose youth was a state of chronic starva- 
tion. 

** Reader," asks George Eliot, earnestly, 
"have you ever drunk a cup of tea with 
real country cream?" And she goes on to 
expatiate, with unusual animation for so 
philosophical a soul, on the ** dulcet prop- 
erties" of that exquisite combination. But 
there are people who protest that cream 
spoils tea, that sugar is an offense to it, and 
who swallow with enjoyment the clear in- 
fusion as it is poured from the pot. How- 
ever wholesome, I confess that to me it 
seems a barren, naked sort of pleasure, this 
of seeing a tea-pot divorced from its pretty 
adjuncts of cream-jug and sugar-bowl, all 



AFTERNOON TEA 21 

of one pattern, and spread out in social 
companionship. 

Leigh Hunt in The Seer devotes almost 
the whole of two chapters to explaining the 
delightful and also the deleterious effects of 
England's favorite herb and the proper 
way to distil it. His recipe cannot be im- 
proved upon, and should be copied into the 
note-book of every good housekeeper. 

"In the first place the tea-pot is found 
by experience to be best when made of 
metal. But, whether metal or ware, take 
care that it be thoroughly clean, and the 
water thoroughly boiling. There should 
not be a leaf of the stale tea left from the 
last meal. No good tea can be depended 
upon from an urn, because an urn cannot be 
kept boiling ; and the water should never be 
put upon the tea but in a thoroughly and 
immediately boiling state. Boiling, pro- 
portion, and attention are the three magic 
words of tea-making. The water should 
also be soft — ^hard water being sure to spoil 
the best tea ; and it is advisable to prepare 
against a chill by letting a small quantity 
of hot water stand in it before you begin, 

emptying it out, of course, when you do so. 
3 



22 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

These premises being taken care of, excel- 
lent tea may be made for one person by 
putting into the pot three teaspoon fuls 
and as much water as will cover the quan- 
tity. Let this stand five minutes, and then 
add as much more as will twice fill the cup 
you are going to use. Leave this addi- 
tional water another five minutes; and 
then, first putting the sugar and cream into 
the cup, pour out the tea, making sure to put 
in another cup of boiling water directly. 
Of tea made for a party, a spoonful for 
each, and one over, must be used; taking 
care never to drain the tea-pot, and always 
to add the requisite quantity of boiling 
water as mentioned.'* 

Here, now, is the authentic prescription 
as coming from an esthetic as well as a 
practical man, and upon it have been based 
most of the modem ideas of tea prepara- 
tion. In deference to the warnings of the 
medical profession against the dreaded 
tannin, that poison residing in the grounds 
of the infusion, many women have now 
adopted the tea-ball, the silver or alumi- 
num globe with perforated sides, and this, 
filled with tea, is swimg about in the pot for 



AFTERNOON TEA 23 

a moment or two and then withdrawn. 
Compared with Hunt's drastic infusion 
this is like the chicken soup where the fowl 
flies through the kitchen ! Sometimes there 
is a tea-ball for each cup, so that every one 
may have the tea as strong or as weak as is 
Hked. Before the tea-ball came in careful 
housewives conceived the plan of using 
little linen bags in the same manner. I 
recollect once, at a club tea, a charming 
woman, known as one of Manhattan's 
society favorites, warned me that my 
neglected tea ''was boiling in the cup," as 
I had forgotten, in the interest of talk, to 
fish my little bag out. 

Strange what an impression a trivial in- 
cident will make upon the mind when im- 
portant things pass away ! I never hence- 
forth neglected to heedfully count the two 
moments that a tea-ball should remain in 
the water, to bring my tea to the piste 
milieu that suits my personal taste. 

It is said, as the worst that can be brought 
against a delightful form of entertainment, 
that afternoon tea-drinking ruins the di- 
gestion, because it destroys the appetite 
for dinner and interferes with sleep. 



24 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

Doubtless it has the latter ill effect when to 
it is added the demi tasse of black coffee 
epicures demand after their late dinner. 
Like the mixing of liquors, the mingling of 
tea and coffee is a dangerous practice. But 
unless made overstrong I doubt very much 
if a cup or so of five-o'clock tea will occa- 
sion any distress upon the partaker. At 
this hour of the day most persons become 
sensible of a dropping of the mercury of 
their spirits; weariness and lassitude re- 
place the energy of the morning, and if 
hunger is not present, still there is a sort of 
faintness that makes the dinner-hour seem 
far away. Taken in the privacy of one's 
own apartment, the five -o'clock tea is 
merely sustenance, a necessary refreshment 
which fills the purpose of enabling one to 
bear up instead of giving way to fatigue. 
But taken in company it is more ; pleasant 
society doubles the benefit of bodily nour- 
ishment, and an informal refection, ar- 
ranged with little effort and at small ex- 
pense, is one of the most satisfactory modes 
of bringing one's friends about one and in- 
dulging the spirit of hospitality. 

Most things are discovered by accident, 



AFTERNOON TEA 25 

and it was because two elderly women were 
confined to their homes, yet wished to en- 
tertain in a small way, that afternoon teas 
were brought about. They gave their 
afternoon callers the surprise of a dainty 
basket of little home-made cakes and a 
fragrant cup of the soothing herb, and 
popular, indeed, became their little recep- 
tions. The custom spread in England im- 
til the men began to complain of the ex- 
pense of this form of entertainment, con- 
fined exclusively to women. Are we to 
suppose that it was the tact of the wives 
which extended the hospitality to men and 
so pacified their minds by ministering to 
their need for amusement? A very tame 
sort of amusement they must have foimd 
it in England, although in those days 
there was conversation when several people 
were gathered together, and dancing was 
not resorted to in its place. But it had its 
reason for being in the necessity for refresh- 
ment after the hunt, when men and women 
came in weary from their outdoor exercise, 
and the steaming urn and a few biscuits 
refreshed body and mind equally. 

Mr. Hunt to the contrary notwithstand- 



26 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

ing, the tea-urn is the accepted method of 
serving this refreshment. At small teas, 
on the porch of the country house, it is cus- 
tomary for the tea-service to be placed on a 
wicker table covered with the prettiest 
cloth the hostess possesses, the round, lace- 
trimmed one being the preference of the 
moment, and the brass or silver kettle 
having its place of honor near the center. 
An alcohol-lamp keeps the water boiling, 
and there are cups and saucers, sugar- 
bowl and cream- jug, to keep it company. 
What else shall be served is a matter of in- 
dividual taste. Sometimes there is fresh 
toast and a dish of marmalade. That con- 
stituted one of the most delicious teas I 
have ever had, partaken of when coming 
to a great country place after a long drive 
in the rain. 

The English muffin, toasted, is, imhap- 
pily, not a thing that we have much suc- 
cess in making, nor the nice Scotch scones. 
But, on the other hand, we excel in little 
cakes. The small scalloped cakes, either 
sugared or frosted, baked in little tins, and 
coming on fresh from the oven, are delight- 
ful. On the table may be a dish of bon- 



AFTERNOON TEA 27 

bons, if one likes. Or, better still, a plate 
of home-made caramels or fudge. There is 
something cavalier in offering one's friend 
crackers bought in boxes, and as for the 
sawdusty little bits of sweetness that are 
often made to answer the place of a bite of 
nourishment, I call them delusions and 
snares. Anything else in the world except 
stale, sweet crackers ! Better honest bread 
and butter than those substitutes for 
hospitality. 

At the usual afternoon at home, when 
tea is served either on the porch or lawn 
or in the drawing-room, it is pleasant for 
the daughters of the house to preside, 
leaving the mother free for the general 
duties of entertaining. One or two maids, 
immaculate in their black frocks and white 
starched collars and cuffs, will be in evi- 
dence to change the cups or bring in fresh 
relays of cakes or biscuits. But the ladies 
themselves are supposed to like to wait 
upon their guests, and the serving offers oc- 
casion for the most pleasant little inti- 
macies. From chat about the requisite 
amount of cream and sugar the diversion 
is natural to other topics, and nothing 



28 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

breaks the ice at a first visit like the in- 
troduction of the tea-urn. 

Infinitesimal is the cost of a modest tea 
after the service is once obtained. And 
that lasts indefinitely. A dozen persons 
may be entertained for a single dollar. 
Fifty for five times that amoimt. Of 
course, decorations can be made to mount 
up to any sum. A few flowers on the table 
are indispensable. More scattered about 
add to the artistic effect. 

In summer it is now customary to serve 
sherbets or iced tea, and the hissing urn is 
banished for the nonce. Even Roman 
punch is offered, and then heavier cakes 
give it coimtenance. But the old saying 
that hot tea is the cooler in the long run 
than iced tea has adherents, and many per- 
sons will not partake of the iced beverage. 
At large affairs it will be necessary to have 
both hot tea and iced tea, and that adds 
greatly to the trouble, but not much to the 
expense. 

In winter chocolate, coffee, and tea are 
all served, but it is not obligatory to have 
anything else than the Simon-pure bever- 
age which gives the little function its name. 



AFTERNOON TEA 29 

With iced tea goes the crystal bowl of 
cracked ice, looking so refreshing in its 
frostiness, and a dish of strawberries is not 
amiss. Fruit is in order at all times as re- 
freshments, and where there is a garden it 
is a privilege for the guests to eat of its 
fruit at first hand. The woman who has a 
strawberry- bed is rarely favored by for- 
tune, as she may invite a selected party of 
guests out to her place in the height of the 
season and feast them upon this delicious 
fruit, giving them a memory that will 
always remain agreeable. One recalls 
years after the occasions when one was ad- 
mitted into the real sanctity of a garden, 
made to feel at home on the premises of 
a proprietor of those good things of earth 
that have not come within one's personal 
chances. There was a lovely woman of 
great wealth whose delightful grounds 
were always thrown open to the Sunday- 
school children for three days at mid- 
summer with full permission to cull the 
small fruits of the season, while afternoon 
tea, with substantial buns and sandwiches, 
was served on the lawn. What happiness 
this generosity gave to the little people, 



30 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

and with what fervor was the annual func- 
tion anticipated, with what pleasure recol- 
lected! Of all summer pleasures a ''lawn 
tea" is the most stupid, however, unless 
there is entire informality and the right 
people are gathered together. Indoor five- 
o'clock functions may consist of your three 
or four intimate friends, when the oppor- 
tunity is one for introducing a house guest 
or some one whom you may desire to make 
acquainted with your special circle, or it 
may become a large general assembly, with 
a debutante daughter as the center of 
attraction. 

In small towns and in the country it is 
now quite customary to present a daughter 
in this way. A pretty girl is at an unusual 
advantage in the graceful position the little 
tea-table affords, and the hint of her do- 
mesticity is not lost upon the observant 
masculine guest! Young and elderly per- 
sons are included in such a company, and 
a little music is not amiss at intervals to 
vary the monotony of talk. 

But the objective point is the elegant, 
well-equipped little table adorned with rare 
china and gleaming silver, fine cut glass, 



AFTERNOON TEA 31 

and its few judiciously selected flowers. 
Avoid flowers with heavy perfume; some 
persons cannot bear to sit at the table on 
which they appear, and the more delicate 
the flowers the better the effect. Grasses 
and leaves nicely arranged answer the 
purpose. The usual table fern is always 
in order, but good taste suggests that all 
such artificial adjuncts as ribbons or bands 
of colored silk be left for the more elaborate 
occasion of dinner. Everything about the 
tea-table should bear out the character of 
an impromptu, unpremeditated entertain- 
ment, and the most cunning art should 
have the appearance of simplicity. 

One of the novelties lately accepted is the 
wicker basket with silver rim to hand about 
crackers or cakes. Everything in the shape 
of wicker furnishings is welcomed, as they 
are so entirely different from the things 
deemed appropriate for more formal occa- 
sions. The porch tea will, of coiirse, be 
served upon the wicker table, and the chairs 
are of the same pretty stuff adorned with 
cretonne pillows. But within doors the 
mahogany table is the choice, and the old- 
fashioned little ''fall-leaf " table, which is 



32 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

indubitable evidence of ancestry when a 
genuine heirloom, always arouses envy and 
admiration among the company. Instead 
of the table-cloth little lace mats are used 
for this finely polished table, which it is 
desecration to cover up. For protection 
from the heat of warm dishes cork or 
asbestos mats beneath the lace ones are 
the best things to employ. They come in 
sets, both round and oval, and are quite 
the most practical articles of their kind. 

One item on the tea-table should not be 
forgotten, and this is a little plate contain- 
ing slices of freshly cut lemon, for some 
persons cannot use sugar or cream, and, 
although from politeness accepting them, 
are uncomfortable in consequence. Be 
careful also about your selection of tea. 
A dash of green flavors black tea deli- 
ciously, yet it is poison to some people. 
The best selection is the English brand 
that is generally in use among our tea- 
drinking cousins, and will be chosen for 
you by your careful grocer. There is a 
wonderful brand of tea called ''flowery 
Pekoe," costly and rare, and not often seen 
over here because of its perfectly colorless, 



AFTERNOON TEA 33 

vapid look, which makes it unpopular with 
us. But the Chinese know its virtue. A 
friend of mine received from her daughter, 
missionary to China, a small jar of the 
"kind of tea the Emperor drinks," and was 
good enough to give me a drawing of it. 
There were no leaves, but a group of tiny- 
flowers resembling the bud of the everlast- 
ing plant. I afterward exchanged experi- 
ences with my friend and found that we 
had both proceeded in the same way to 
try to get some color into our tea. We in- 
fused it, we boiled it. But it remained 
like pale lemonade and had, to our un- 
cultivated taste, no flavor at all. So we 
concluded that it was too good for us, and 
that the kind we purchased over here, 
adulterated or not, suited us better. 

Regarding the toilet of the hostess at the 
five-o'clock-tea function: any sober gown 
of silk may be worn, but it should not be 
decollete. It is the worst possible taste 
to let the shoulders be seen by dayhght. 
Evening gowns belong to evening, and it 
is assumed that the woman who wears one 
when the occasion demands a tea-gown 
does not possess the proper toilet. The 



34 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

tea-gown, however, as it used to be, is 
rather out of style at present as a company 
toilet. Peignoirs have become most elab- 
orate, and, being simply wrappers, however 
garnished, have an association with the 
boudoir that makes them inappropriate 
in the drawing-room. Any pretty after- 
noon dress, with the distinct character of a 
gown, and not of a peignoir, is now the 
better style. 

It is said that it is next to impossible to 
introduce into America the envied institu- 
tion of the salon — that delightful form of 
entertainment which combined the ''feast 
of reason and flow of the soul " with dainty 
bodily refreshment which offered the excuse 
for coming together. Carlyle said, in one 
of his bitter moods, that "friendship was 
only an eating together," and it is true that 
the function of eating and drinking pro- 
motes good feeling, and is, perhaps, as neces- 
sary to its nourishment as letters between 
the absent. Here in the five-o'clock tea 
is given the opportunity to a woman to 
build up something like the salon, and if 
she has the necessary tact, the persistence 
to overcome the disappointment of facing 



AFTERNOON TEA 35 

empty chairs many times before her ac- 
quaintances fall into the habit of coming 
to her little receptions, and the finesse to 
seek out bright and congenial persons who 
will care to meet each other again, she may 
establish delightful reunions at little ex- 
pense and trouble. 

At the beginning of a season cards may 

be sent out saying that Mrs. will be 

at home every Thursday during the win- 
ter or any other selected day. On the 
Continent and among many people over 
here Sunday is the social day. Men are at 
liberty oii that day, and the harmless enter- 
tainment of the salon is one of the few 
means left in this age, when each sex seeks 
its amusements apart, for bringing them 
into pleasant and domestic intercourse 
with women. By all means let us uphold 
the five-o'clock reunions for the encour- 
agement of conversation, the conserver of 
friendly relations between persons apt to 
become engrossed in separate interests, 
although congenial, and a means of in^ 
dulging the hospitable instinct at small 
cost of energy and purse. 

Regarding refreshments, it may be sug- 



^//^/^Vrp' 



36 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

gested that a fresh, home-made sponge- 
cake cut into squares and served with the 
tea is a welcome dainty. As compara- 
tively few cooks succeed in making this 
cake as it should be, at once spongy and 
crisp, not stringy, a recipe is given that has 
been completely successful and offers little 
difficulty to the novice. 

Beat very light the yolks of four eggs — 
they must be absolutely fresh, for eggs 
more than a few days old have lost their 
capacity to feather in the beating, and are 
watery — then add to them one cup of 
granulated sugar, the juice and grated rind 
of one orange, one cup of finely sifted 
flour (pastry flour is best) ; now fold in the 
whites of the eggs, beaten very stiff, with a 
small pinch of salt. Have buttered tube 
cake-pan ready, and lay in your batter 
lightly, by spoonfuls. Bake in a moderate 
oven for one hour, taking especial care not 
to alter the heat perceptibly or allow a 
draft on the cake while turning the pan. 
In fact, it is risky to open the oven door 
at all for the first fifteen minutes, and then 
not too widely. A mere peep and a dexter- 
ous turn of the wrist, if the pan needs to be 



AFTERNOON TEA 37 

turned at all, must suffice. Many a cake is 
ruined by the over-zeal of the cook in alter- 
ing the position of her pan. If the cake 
inclines to rise a little on one side it is 
better to leave it alone till done and then 
conceal the irregularity by a judicious icing, 
or cut it all up, when no one will be the 
wiser. A dust of powdered sugar over the 
top of the sponge-cake is nicer than icing 
when it is to be served with tea. The 
above is an inexpensive cake, costing not 
over twenty-eight cents, even when eggs 
are at their dearest. If more is required 
it is best to make the quantity in two 
separate batters and bake separately. 

Any cake served with tea should not be 
too sweet nor too rich. This beverage 
calls for a light, nourishing accompani- 
ment, just as coffee and chocolate admit 
the heavier dainties, like fruit and pound- 
cake. The German Kaffee Kuchen is a most 
appropriate accompaniment for coffee, but, 
unfortimately, not once in a dozen times is 
it eatable. That which comes from the 
bakers is ordinarily heavy and doughy as 
well as too full of sour currants. I have 
experimented with this cake in my own 

4 



38 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

home, and, although the following recipe 
is not precisely the same as the veritable 
Kuchen as made in German households, it 
is excellent, and no one will find fault with 
it as a very good substitute. 

Take of risen bread dough one pound — 
that is, as well as can be judged, for it is 
not absolutely indispensable that the lump 
weigh one pound to an ounce ; tear it into 
small pieces with your fingers, and drop 
into a bowl. Now add the well-beaten 
yolks of two eggs, one cup of brown and 
one of white sugar, half a pound of seeded 
raisins, half a potmd of well washed and 
dried currants, and a quarter of a pound of 
citron cut in minute bits, one teaspoonful 
of powdered cinnamon, and a quarter 
teaspoonful of powdered allspice. Be gen- 
erous with your cinnamon and miserly 
with your allspice. Mix in now one cupful 
of flour in which has been well sifted one 
heaping teaspoonful of baking-powder and 
a small pinch of salt. Fold in now the two 
beaten whites of your eggs, and mix with 
a spoon vigorously. If the dough is too 
stiff to beat easily you may add half a cup 
of sweet milk to the batter. But the con- 



AFTERNOON TEA 39 

sistency should be that of a bread dough 
rather than of a batter. Now put into a 
well-buttered shallow cake-pan with a very 
thick bottom, and this covered with at 
least two layers of buttered paper, for the 
cake must remain in the oven at least one 
hour and a quarter. The oven must be 
moderate, and the heat diminish very 
gradually after the first half -hour. Watch 
well, and when done try with a clean straw 
before removing. There is little danger 
of the cake's falling, and this recipe is one 
of the safest and easiest for the young 
housekeeper to try. With the addition of 
a nice Philadelphia icing it is a delightful 
cake for the children's party, wholesome 
and palatable. Moreover, in a tight cake- 
pan it will keep perfectly well for several 
days, although I do not say but that it is 
nicest fresh and warm from the oven. If it 
is desired to keep a week one teaspoonful 
of brandy should be added to the dough 
when mixing in the fruit. 

Any little novelty in the way of simple 
dainties is perfectly appropriate for a five- 
o'clock, and the ygung lady of the house 
sometimes seizes this occasion to show off 



40 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

her newly acquired knowledge of domestic 
science in the way of cookery and serving. 
It is pre-eminently the woman's function, 
to which there may or may not be men 
guests. Welcome they are and must be, 
but rare they certainly will be. Afternoon 
is the lounging-time, when those who can 
take their ease are delighted to ** steal 
awhile away" in good company, but others 
may only sigh enviously while they look 
over the fence at people enjoying them- 
selves and plod along in their own routine 
paths. 



Ill 

DINNER-GIVING IN A LARGE AND SMALL WAY 

A CERTAIN little bride married in 
great state at Washington was com- 
pletely dismayed at receiving from one of 
her husband's wealthy relatives, down 
on the secret list of her anticipations for 
a magnificent gift, a handsomely boimd 
cookery book with this inscription within: 

'*A good dinner is the best of all good 
things; keeps a man in good humor with 
his wife and with the world. So accept 
this excellent adviser from yotir affection- 
ate uncle." 

The excellent adviser was cast into a 
closet, to languish there until one fine day 
saw young madame deprived of cook and 
housemaid by one of those sudden whirli- 
gigs of fortune which beset the inexperi- 
enced housekeeper. Then it was drawn 



42 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

forth, studied, appreciated, and became 
in time one of the most valued friends of 
the quondam amusement-seeker. Never 
again after that first week was she com- 
pletely at the mercy of circumstances, with 
guests invited to dinner and no means of 
getting that meal upon the table. But she 
had her day of mortification, one that 
might have been spared her if the educa- 
tion girls acquired in those days had been as 
practical as our modern ideas demand. 
The modem woman not only intends to 
avoid being helpless in any emergency, but 
equips herself so as to be completely effi- 
cient for all ordinary and to-be-expected 
occasions. She learns to order a dinner 
very early in her social career, perhaps 
from the necessity of studying hotel 
menus, if by no better means, and she 
becomes a judge of cookery through obser- 
vation of others, if she is personally indif- 
ferent to the merits of exquisite dishes, as 
many women are. 

No doubt it is men who keep cooks up 
to the mark, who excite ambition in the 
way of culinary discoveries and stimulate 
the efforts of housekeepers to do their best. 



DINNER-GIVING 43 

Left to themselves, women are prone to 
put up with makeshifts and exist upon 
scraps. Wily servants know that when 
the master is away there is little use in 
taking trouble for the madam; anything 
will answer the purpose, so it is daintily 
served. For upon the point of immaculate 
napery and the flower on the tray or table 
women are exigent. But there is an old 
couplet which I have been trying to recall 
in its entirety, expressive of the many 
wants of humanity that men can do with- 
out, and ending thus: ''But where, oh 
where is the man that can do without 
dining?" 

Verily, nowhere; he loves the ceremony 
of dinner and appreciates the splendor of 
handsome meals. If he does not precisely 
need to be kept in good humor through 
gratification of his gastronomic tastes, still 
that indulgence ministers much to his 
happiness. The dinner-party is to many 
absorbed business men almost the Sole dis- 
sipation of their lives. If, haply, they can 
have it to their liking at home they prefer 
inviting their guests there to entertaining 
them at hotels. But that resource is 



44 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

quickly resorted to if the domestic menage 
is defective. A woman who values her 
husband's esteem takes pains to become 
mistress of the art of dinner-giving. And 
year by year it grows easier, as methods of 
housekeeping get more systematic and co- 
operation reduces individual labor. Nu- 
merous dishes that were in former times 
prepared at home at vast expense of 
energy are now proctu-able, equally good, 
at the better groceries. A novelist of the 
last century spoke of her hero's intention 
to ''send around his cards for a reception 
just as soon as his cook should have pre- 
pared enough white soup -stock." Evi- 
dently it was a matter of time. Nowadays 
one may have superb soup at ten minutes' 
notice by heating some cans of certain fine 
preparations world-renowed as being equal 
to the best home-made products. Nor do 
spices need to be ground nor sugar beaten 
out nor each and every species of dessert 
anxiously presided over by the mistress 
of the house. To order a complete dinner 
from a caterer lacks chic; it savors of 
patent hospitality, and all self-respecting 
women like to display their own capacities 



DINNER-GIVING 45 

as housekeepers by the introduction of 
novel dishes and original ways of serving. 
Perhaps most of the pretty inventions in 
that line are due to famous chefs; I forget, 
for instance, who it was that first sug- 
gested the serving of raw oysters in a 
block of ice; an excellent idea, perhaps 
emanating from the ambitious and tal- 
ented Pierre Blot, who exhausted his in- 
vention for the sake of an ungrateful 
generation and died in poverty and ob- 
scurity. 

But I do recollect that my own mother 
made a famous *'hit" at a New Year's 
reception by adopting the idea, and setting 
upon her refreshment-table a shining crys- 
tal block, hollowed out to be the bed of the 
opaline bivalves, tempting in their plump- 
ness to hungry men callers as the truant 
surfaces of the flying-trout to eager fisher- 
men. And many a cunning device to whet 
appetite was due to this lady, whose ac- 
quaintances were always begging her to get 
out a cookery book, but who never found 
time to satisfy their demand in this re- 
spect. One of her great hobbies was beau- 
tiful table ware, and for the simplest occa- 



46 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

sions she exacted as perfect service as if 
exalted guests were expected. Conse- 
quently she was never taken by surprise 
if some one happened in at dinner-time, 
and there was no flurry or irritation at 
having to entertain a casual visitor. 

It is considerable trouble to live every 
day up to holiday pitch, to maintain the 
artistic atmosphere, the elegant ease 
that we desire to preserve in the eyes 
of our friends. Where one has per- 
fectly trained French servants, deft and 
soft-footed, quick of perception and ut- 
terly patient, a ''little dinner" becomes a 
treat to the givers as well as to the guests. 
Large affairs are merely extensions in the 
way of numbers; there is no other altera- 
tion or rearrangement. But this comfort is 
vouchsafed to few; in general we have to 
train our one or two maids and watch them 
vigilantly to see that they neither forget 
nor neglect to carry out our wishes. 

It is well known that the good cook is 
bom, not made. But the excellent wait- 
ress is a product of education. The mis- 
tress who has zeal and tact and persever- 
ance can make over a raw Irish girl or a 



DINNER-GIVING 47 

pert mulatto, can instil routine into the 
dull-witted Dutch woman or gain the as- 
cendancy over an obstinate Slav. The one 
essential is that she should be genuine her- 
self, that what she practises accords with 
her teaching. To say one day that the 
silver must be kept shining and the fern 
neat in the epergne and the next day to 
overlook a slight degree of slovenliness 
because there is no one present but the 
family — "Only be careful that this never 
happens, Sarah, when any stranger is 
around!" — ^is sufficient to open the way for 
constant carelessness to the servant, who 
quickly imbibes the notion that it is the 
effect made upon the outside world which 
is the real object, not the keeping up of a 
high standard for the sake of one's per- 
sonal respect. 

After making sure that the service in 
your house is efficient the next thing is to 
secure for your little dinner at least one 
brilliant guest. This means a person of 
wit and conversation, either a man or a 
woman. One magnetic personality can 
carry off half a dozen dull people. But no 
effort of host or hostess can leaven a mass 



48 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

of dullness. It is to be hoped, however, 
that the wit will not arrive in a sulky hu- 
mor, refusing to show off, like a spoiled 
child feeling itself injured by a bad bar- 
gain. Professional entertainers, of the 
sort that Thackeray describes so delight- 
fully in his Pendennis, who go to dinners 
with the avowed intention of exchanging 
so much talk for so much game and turtle, 
are shrewd calculators and throw over all 
those houses that do not satisfy their 
exhorbitant ideas. But who wants them? 
Is it not ever so much better to have only 
friends at one's board instead of unkind 
critics? Nor is it always well to invite 
the same brilliant personage. People weary 
of his tone, his mannerisms, his conceit. 
The giving of a dinner is always a new op- 
portunity to bring the right people together 
and delight them by the infusion of a 
fresh element into the social atmosphere. 
Regarding the seating of guests, the 
nicest tact is necessary. In our country 
there is scarcely any recognized order of 
precedence, with the exception of political 
position. At Washington there is a rigid 
code with which all women who entertain 



DINNER-GIVING 49 

must be well acquainted; but elsewhere 
there is larger liberty. Guests should be 
invited for a certain hour — seven o'clock 
is the most usual hour now — and dinner 
served promptly at ten minutes after that 
hour, whether all the guests have arrived or 
not. It is most impleasant for a company 
to wait upon a single individual, and the 
persons who come late to a dinner deserve 
to suffer the small inconvenience of enter- 
ing the dining-room alone. The butler, or 
maid-servant if only women servants are 
kept, annoimces in a low tone to the mis- 
tress of the house that dinner is served, and 
she then rises as a signal to the host that 
he is to take in the chief lady present, after 
which the others follow, she herself being 
last, with the man of most prominence. A 
few casual words to the company as to 
which companion is to fall to their lot 
is advisable, as there is then no hes- 
itancy. 

What nice work it is to pair guests 
wisely! The success of the dinner de- 
pends chiefly upon this point, for let the 
viands be delicious and everything else as 
it should be, if the people who cannot talk 



50 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

to each other are placed in proximity the 
demon of silence will preside at the repast 
and the chill of discomfort prevail. Apro- 
pos of chills — the temperature of the din- 
ing-room should be well regulated, taking 
into consideration that it will gradually 
rise as the dinner progresses. A queer 
anecdote was related to me by a relative 
who entertained the late Ben Butler, 
brutally frank as he was splendidly tal- 
ented. He happened to have been seated 
directly over a register, through which the 
hot air from the furnace was admitted 
into the room. By some mischance it was 
left open, and the choleric gentleman, 
always a hearty eater, became more and 
more uncomfortable as course succeeded 
course. Ignorant of the reason, he attrib- 
uted it to the seasoning of the food, and, 
becoming suspicious of curry and paprica or 
red pepper, he began refusing hot dishes 
until, a sudden wift of warm air mounting 
up his back as he was mincing an orange 
sherbet, he broke out : 

"Darn me, madam, if this isn't the 
damned hottest dinner I ever tried to eat 
in my life! I'm roasting alive!" 



DINNER-GIVING 51 

And then they investigated, and the 
butler shut the register. 

It is even more important for the guests 
to be well chosen for a small dinner of, say, 
six or eight persons than for one of twenty. 
Happy that hostess whose ''Httle dinners" 
are events in the lives of her guests, from 
whose house all will go away with pleasant 
memories of congenial acquaintances made 
and agreeable conversaton enjoyed. It 
is of more importance than what has been 
eaten or drunk. Most persons forget by 
to-morrow exactly the sort of food they 
have had, but they recall distinctly whom 
they have met and what kind of a time 
they had. A less little anxiety about 
viands and a little extra care as to the 
social part of an entertainment always 
pays in the end. 

Not that the question of food should be 
neglected. Far from that. The season 
will regulate to some extent the selection 
of dishes. It is not good taste for any 
woman to strain her resources to feast her 
guests upon dainties that are too extrava- 
gant for her purse, and in lavishing money 
for a single occasion suffer restraint at home 



52 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

for several. There are some women who 
thoughtlessly make their families pay for 
hospitality by serving the remains of a 
feast cold and cheerless for some days 
afterward. A man may well hate hospi- 
tality upon such terms. Let her calculate 
very judiciously the amoimt of food needed 
for the number of persons invited and or- 
der very little more than this amoimt. 
Overloaded plates are no longer the mode; 
a little of each coiu*se is proper, and where 
the dinner is served a la Russe, or in courses, 
just a small amount of each kind of food is 
placed upon a plate. 

Upon the dinner-table there is less furni- 
ture than used to be the fashion. The 
places are laid with the required number 
of forks at the left, of course; ordinarily, 
one for meat and one for dessert, the fish 
being served with its proper fork on the 
plate, to avoid a tedious number of forks 
appearing on the table. On the right are 
a couple of knives and as many spoons, 
or even one dessert-spoon, for the same 
reason. The napkin rests folded upon a 
small square of bread or a roll at the cen- 
ter, and above, a little to the left, appear 



DINNER-GIVING 53 

several wine-glasses, one for claret, at least, 
and another for champagne. For a small 
dinner this is sufficient, the claret coming 
on with the soup, and the champagne with 
the entree, or roast. A small glass of 
liqueur or cordial will be welcome, although 
a fine cup of coffee ought to answer moder- 
ate needs. 

Much liberty is offered in regard to the 
table ornaments. An epergne, daintily 
garnished with enlacing greenery and 
flanked by four small dishes containing, 
perhaps, preserved ginger, some fancy 
chocolate crackers, or macaroons, and 
bonbons, is always in good taste. A single 
vase of rare flowers is as good as the 
epergne. Personally, I do not care for rib- 
bon ornaments, but when tastefully dis- 
posed and of the right colors they are 
not amiss. A ring of electric - lights in 
flower form is cheerful, and I have no- 
ticed that it has an inspiring effect upon 
conversation. Why, I have not divined. 

The following menu for a small dinner 
of six persons is a suggestion upon which 
a woman can easily enlarge, and is offered 
as a basis for original ideas. 



54 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 
Supposing the season to be winter: 

Menu (printed in English) 

Oysters on Half Shell 

Julienne Soup Claret or Sherry 

Sweetbreads with Tomato Sauce 

Roast Wild Turkey, with Chestnut Stuffing 

Saratoga Potatoes 

Cauliflower, with Drawn-butter Sauce Champagne 

Lettuce and Tomato Salad, with Mayonnaise 

Cheese Wafers Celery 

Nesselrole Pudding Fruits 

Coffee 

The cost of this dinner should not exceed, 
even with the present exalted price-list of 
the butchers, twelve dollars, exclusive of 
the wine. That may be what one likes. 
Our better brands of California wine are 
far more palatable than poor stuff with a 
French label, and if one cannot conscien- 
tiously purchase an excellent brand of im- 
ported wine, better buy the native article. 

Spring dinners are dainty affairs, and 
offer an opportunity for genius. It was 
Thackeray's Monsieur Mirabeau, I be- 
lieve, who talked sentiment to his yoimg 
mistress in the form of culinary inspira- 



DINNER-GIVING 55 

tions, serving up for her young guests at 
their repast tender spring lamb garnished 
with peas, numerous side-dishes appro- 
priately accompanied by delicate adjuncts, 
all bespeaking a peculiar sentiment, and 
ending up with ice-cream molded in the 
form of turtle-doves. But such dreams 
need sympathetic interpretation in order 
to be appreciated. Something in the way 
of delicate gastronomic appeal, however, 
is possible in the spring. Is this agreeable ? 

Menu for a Spring Dinner {Eight Persons) 

Iced Claret 

Maccaroni Soup, with small Crotons 

Salmon, Lobster Sauce Chicken Croquettes 

Cucumbers in Beds of Cracked Ice 

Roast Lamb Green Peas 

Roman Punch, frozen 

Asparagus with Cream Dressing 

Mayonnaise of Chicken 

Pineapple Jelly with Whipped Cream Champagne 

Neapolitan Ice-cream Little Cakes 

Fruits 

One may always have the fruits that are 
in season; for instance, in the spring a 
prettily arranged selection of oranges, 



56 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

bananas, California pears, and white 
grapes will suffice. In the fall rosy 
peaches, pears, plums, and rich clusters of 
native grapes make a handsome piece. 

Hamburg grapes at two dollars the 
pound are luxuries that no one appreciates 
more than the writer, yet if the purchase 
of them is an extravagance it were better to 
leave them altogether to the bloated mil- 
lionaire and be satisfied with the abundance 
that our own rich California furnishes us. 
At midwinter clusters of London raisins, 
or, rather, the raisins that are called * 'Lon- 
don layers," are nice, interspersed with 
figs and dates. They should form one of 
the little corner dishes mentioned, to be 
minced instead of bonbons. 

At an informal dinner the older fashion 
of carving at table obtains in many fam- 
ilies, especially at holiday times. But it is 
a great tax upon the host, and is better 
avoided. If preferred, the turkey or shad, 
so handsome in their entirety, may appear 
for a moment upon the table and then be 
removed by the butler or maid to the side- 
table to be carved and served. I cannot 
see much sense in first cutting up the meat 



DINNER-GIVING 57 

in the pantry and then placing the dish 
before the host to serve. The fashion of 
serving the dinner in courses has many 
advantages, and is more often followed now 
than the other way. 

One word upon the subject of home- 
made desserts. Nowhere else in the world 
are there such delicious desserts as in 
America. Foreigners may cavel at our 
taste for sweets, but once tasting the flaky 
apple-pie, the delicate cocoanut-puddings, 
the souffle custards that come dainty and 
toothsome from the hands of his fair host- 
ess, his prejudices must die the natural 
death and he become a convert to our 
cult of the aftercourse of the dinner. As 
for the American cakes — they are simply 
unapproachable. The English pride them- 
selves upon their plum-cake. And they 
may, for it is their sole and only triumph. 
In France one may wander far and hunger 
much before finding anything to satisfy 
the appetite in the delusions and snares 
that sell under the name of gateaux; mere 
icings put together with butter, and so 
rich and heavy that even the natives sel- 
dom eat more than a mouthful. 



S8 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

Once upon the occasion of a children's 
party in Paris I sought to have a real cake 
made, such as we order here for birthday 
fetes. At an enormous price the order was 
taken, and when the product appeared it 
was a beautiful art creation, ornamented 
and picked out with roses and pleasing to 
the eye in its mingled tints of pink, choco- 
late, and white. But when it came to be 
cut — what a heavy mess it was ! Imagine a 
pudding all of eggs, sugar, and butter, 
creamed together and baked in the oven, 
and you will have oin* cake. Even the 
little French children pretended to like it, 
but were obliged to leave it on the plates. 
I finally prevailed upon the bonne to carry 
it home. 

The delicious desserts compounded of 
jellies, fruits, and creams that our girls 
learn to make for fun are chef d'oeuvres, and 
nothing nicer can appear upon the dinner- 
table, even on the most ceremonious oc- 
casions. It is the young lady's function 
to help with the daintier part of the cook- 
ing, like making salads and desserts. At 
least it ought to be her privilege. It was 
Aaron Burr who said that nothing tasted so 



DINNER-GIVING 59 

good to a man as something coming straight 
to him from the delicate hands of a lady. 
When one has a masculine epicure to 
dine it will be conferring a happy sur- 
prise upon him to feast him upon some 
home-made dainties in the way of a 
dessert. 

The great dinner differs from the little 
dinner only in being more elaborate. The 
same service that answers for the one 
should answer for the other, excepting, of 
course, that there are necessarily more 
table attendants. The butler takes com- 
plete charge of the service, and under him 
are one or two men who receive his orders 
and hand things imder his directions. 
They take away plates and hand the 
minor articles, but the greater functionary 
has the distinction of placing before the 
host and hostess the chief dishes. It has 
from the oldest times been the business of 
the host to carve or serve out the meats, 
while the madam serves the sweets. Cof- 
fee is now generally brought into the 
drawing-room after the dinner, but if pre- 
ferred it may be drunk at table. Then 
come the dainty finger-bowls, with their 



6o NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

slice of lemon or leaf of geranium, and all 
is over. 

Menus are generally written in French, 
but this is a matter of choice. It is better 
to have them in English unless it is certain 
that your guests are familiar enough with 
the language to interpret the tautology of 
the French cuisine. Sometimes one or two 
handsome menus are engraved and are 
passed about among the guests. But I 
think it is nicer to have small individual 
menus, written out in pretty script by the 
hostess, with perhaps a special motto or 
epigram for each guest. Such a menu is a 
charming souvenir. 

Invitations for small dinners are usually 
more informal than those for larger affairs. 
They are written in the first person and 
signed, while the others are in the third 
person. Guests naturally reply in the 
same manner. All invitations should be 
promptly responded to, and in order to 
allow for the probable refusal of one or 
more and supply the vacancy invitations 
are sent out at least ten days in advance. 
But the woman who made up her mind in 
advance that a certain acquaintance would 



DINNER-GIVING 6i 

decline, and ''killed two birds with one 
stone" by discharging her debt of courtesy 
to him and another person to supply his 
place when he should refuse committed the 
solecism of her life, for both accepted ! It 
was as bad as the plight of the writer who 
sends a MS. to two editors at once and has 
the astonishment of taking them both in. 
But the delinquent never has but one 
chance to make these little jests upon fate. 
The chief object and aim of the dinner- 
party is not so much eating as recreation. 
To men it often furnishes the best and 
easiest occasion for convivial intercourse 
with the people they enjoy meeting, and 
women, more favored in opportimities of 
seeing their friends, still delight in the 
leisurely period of a dinner to indulge in the 
lingering, discursive charm of a real con- 
versation. It is a disappointment beyond 
words to find oneself beside a disagreeable 
neighbor at dinner. The anticipation of 
two long dull hours in such a proximity 
may well take the taste away for the finest 
dinner possible to the imagination. 

So in making out her dinner lists a 
hostess should carefully consider the con- 



62 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

geniality of her guests. Certain persons 
may never be placed together. Husbands 
and wives are supposed to be divorced tor 
the nonce; elderly people are not neces- 
sarily harmonious, and must be paired in 
regard to their personal idiosyncrasies 
rather than their social position. It is 
better to thrust an imexpected opportunity 
for real enjoyment upon a person than to 
give him what he expects sometimes. 
Guests should also realize the responsi- 
bility upon them of coming to a dinner in 
an agreeable frame of mind and doing 
their part to make the success of the occa- 
sion. Some fresh little anecdote, hoarded 
for the time, is often a delight to the 
hearers; some choice bit of social history 
— not scandal! — makes a happy hit. With 
amiability and the spirit of good will pre- 
vailing the dinner must be unsavory indeed 
that does not pass off with pleasure to a 
company of well-chosen guests. 

Cynics say that after their departure 
madam draws a sigh, and murmurs, 
** Thank Heaven, that is finished!" But, 
on the other hand, those who know human 
nature even better relate that the cream of 



DINNER-GIVING 63 

an entertainment is raking up the coals 
into a handful in the living-room grate 
when the family and a few intimates are 
left to talk over the past enjoyment 
and to bask in certain reminiscences of 
a happy day. 



IV 

INFORMAL LITTLE NOVELTIES 

ONE result of college life for women 
has been a more intimate knowledge 
of one another, and a mutual appreciation 
of the possibility of finding amusement in 
a society made up of entirely feminine 
elements. Men have always ** flocked to- 
gether" because their occupations naturally 
lead to intimacy, but the custom of women 
taking one another for comrades in pleas- 
ure, by preference, is modem. 

In old times there was scarcely any 
other function to bring women together 
than the usual "calling" at one another's 
houses. It was a dull and conventional 
proceeding, accompanied by solid repasts 
and much bustle on the part of the hostess ; 
but when the substantial repasts then re- 
quired were replaced by the custom of 



INFORMAL LITTLE NOVELTIES 65 

handing around tea and cake, entertain- 
ing in the afternoons became easier and 
more agreeable. Then came in slowly the 
real five-o'clock, with its dainty equipment 
of the little tea-table and pretty fantasies. 
Appointments were made and plans formed 
with regard to it as a real, fixed function. 
And notwithstanding all the novelties that 
have come in since, the afternoon tea re- 
mains as a settled custom that nothing 
else can replace. 

But college life has given birth to an- 
other condition. It has made women, to 
a great extent, independent of marriage 
as an essential factor of happiness. "My 
mind to me a kingdom is," sings the mod- 
ern maid, reveling in her Browning clubs, 
her dramatic societies, her debating club, 
and kindred associations. Culture has be- 
come so wide-spread, eager inquiry into 
every subject touching upon human prog- 
ress so almost universal, that women are 
delighted to meet one another to have 
talks on all sorts of subjects and find 
immense enjoyment in the interchange of 
wit and fancy. They sharpen their minds 
upon one another and have relegated mere 



66 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

gossip to another strata of society, made 
up of the few uneducated persons existing 
in byways and hedges. And even this 
small remnant is dying out rather fast, as 
a recent experience of a bright house- 
keeper proves. Being in modest circum- 
stances, she employed what the French term 
a femme de menage, or visiting - servant, 
by the hour. The one in question hap- 
pened to be a colored woman of imcertain 
years, bright, alert, and thoroughly up to 
date in intelligence. The difficulty was to 
keep her from the current of conversation 
into which she plunged on arriving in the 
morning. Nothing was beyond the range 
of her interest — politics, social progress, 
international questions, the last public scan- 
dal, the newest society topic. It came 
about that the madam was put to it to re- 
ply to the searching observations of the 
ancient lady and formed the habit of 
sudden deafness ; but that did not answer, 
for j the serving- woman merely raised her 
voice to the pitch of necessary impression. 
Then the employer took to retreating to 
another room, but she was trapped and 
followed. The eloquent stream could not 



INFORMAL LITTLE NOVELTIES 67 

be stemmed, and each day a new sparkle 
seemed to be added to the talker's wit. 
It became intolerable finally, and the sole 
recourse was to get rid of the too-knowing 
domestic. 

''I positively refuse to be instructed by 
my ' Martha by the day ' in all the items of 
social intercourse and national politics," 
averred the housekeeper. ' ' I began to feel 
my ignorance, to be mortified at my in- 
ferior information. How the woman man- 
aged to keep up so well with all the news 
of the day is beyond me, but she seemed to 
have a private fountain of knowledge, for 
nothing was too new for her to be aware of 
it. My mind got absolutely weary, just 
keeping along in the ordinary path with 
her. Now I have a Swede, whose whole 
intelligence is taken up in the struggle with 
our tongue, so that she does not try to 
express complex ideas while at work. It 
is a relief." 

Whether women of the working order 
take the time to exchange opinions with 
one another on such matters as politics 
and sociology is a question; but certainly 
women of the educated class do. And 



68 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

certain unique functions have grown up 
out of this desire for feminine seances. 

The bachelor maids' spread is a pecu- 
liar institution, slightly resembling college 
spreads, but with the added element of 
spinster decorations and allusions. On 
hiring an apartment it is now not unusual 
for the mistress of it to send out invitations 
to a certain number of her intimate friends 
for a ** spinster party" from eight to ten or 
thereabouts. 

The rooms are decorated with whatever 
she has in the way of pretty draperies and 
plants, cushions abound, a cozy comer is 
arranged, and little tables are set about for 
cards, games, and the succeeding refresh- 
ments — such eatables as can be prepared on 
the chafing-dish. Cards having been sent 
out at least ten days in advance, the hostess 
receives in a simple gown of rather severe 
make, her hair coiffed in spinster curls 
or ringlets. Every idea suggestive of the 
proverbial "old-maidism" is in evidence. 
If a cat does not belong to the establish- 
ment, one is borrowed for the occasion, to 
purr on the hearth, which is artificially 
arranged by sprigs of brush, a pair of brass 



INFORMAL LITTLE NOVELTIES 69 

andirons, and a lighted lamp behind them, 
unless the rare bliss of an actual fireplace 
is one of the assets of the modem apart- 
ment. And this is most improbable. On 
a table prominently set forth in the middle 
of the floor is an array of sewing materials 
— thimbles, spools, scissors, and so forth, 
with several cut-out aprons to be run up 
by the guests, as they are supposed to set to 
work on some spinster occupation while 
they indulge in the gossip appropriate to 
their character as spinsters. Cheap little 
pictures of old maids are strung upon the 
walls for the nonce, replacing other pic- 
tures, and every little device that ingenuity 
can suggest to give the place more the 
appearance of an old maid's den adds to 
the fun of the evening. To give a par- 
ticularly lively touch to the conversation, a 
young bachelor maid lately supplied her- 
self with the radical volume of Sir Almroth 
Wright and read passages of it aloud, 
imtil the wrath of her guests was stirred 
to the pitch of intense indignation, when 
she could sit back and let the talk take 
care of itself. There was no lack of 

enthusiasm at that seance. 
6 



70 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

But the modern innovation among 
women is the club idea applied to enter- 
tainments. It has taken every conceiv- 
able form, from the *' camping-out club" 
to the card and dinner clubs, formal or in- 
formal, as preference decides. 

A camping club can be formed of from 
four to a dozen persons, or even more. 
There is no limit to numbers if congenial 
persons can be got together. Naturally, 
the summer is the time for this. A house 
of sufficient size, or tents, furnish the back- 
ground for the housekeeping, an informal 
and perfunctory adjunct to the incessant 
recreations that succeed one another all 
the long, warm days. If there are men 
as well as women, some married couple 
chaperon the party; this gives rise to an 
agreeable division of labor, as the men 
can — as the young lover said when pro- 
posing to live with his mistress on bread, 
water, and love — hustle about to get the 
wood and water, while the girls make the 
bread and cake. A location by stream or 
lake, on a hill, where there is a view of sun- 
rise and sunset, is the ideal for the camp- 
ing site. There should be opportunity for 



INFORMAL LITTLE NOVELTIES 71 

fishing excursions as well as a good tennis- 
ground and field for ball. If the camp is 
to endure any length of time it is worth 
while to make a place for dancing, either 
a good turf or a board floor with a canvas 
cover fixed to four poles. The mode of 
recreations will depend upon the ages of 
the campers-out, of course, young people 
being unable to exist long without the 
livelier amusements. 

Another form of the club project is the 
dinner club, made up of a certain number of 
householders, who entertain one another 
in turn, going the entire round of members 
at least once in the coiu*se of a season. 
The dinners given should be semi-formal — 
that is, just the happy medium between the 
simple home dinner and the stately affair 
of ceremony. Subsequent entertainment 
should take the shape of music or cards, or 
a theatrical representation acted out by 
the members themselves, without recourse 
to professional talent. It is a good idea 
to select a number of simple comedies at 
the beginning of the season and rehearse 
them as leisure affords opportunity, so 
that when called upon at short no- 



72 NOVEL WAYS OP ENTERTAINING 

tice to act no one may be caught unpre- 
pared. 

Luncheon clubs are run upon the same 
plan, but are composed exclusively of 
women. They are chiefly conversation 
clubs, and to prevent embarrassment some 
topic is previously indicated on the notice 
sent out to members. Nowadays there is 
an anxiety evident everywhere to avoid the 
ancient question, secretly agitated among 
guests expecting the ordeal of conversation 
— What shall I talk about? We are sup- 
plied with ready-to-talk subjects, as we are 
with ready-to-wear gowns, and all one has 
to do is to spend a little time in ''getting 
up" some information on the matter in 
hand. This is a happy way of avoiding the 
dilemma of the well-known diner-out of 
history, who bought a complete encyclo- 
pedia in^ instalments, and got each by 
heart as it came to hand, so that he was 
extremely learned so long as discussions 
covered the alphabetical letters he had 
studied, but subsided into eloquent silence 
when it went beyond them. 

Cards still solve many problems of the 
after-dinner amusements. But the special 



INFORMAL LITTLE NOVELTIES 73 

card clubs of the progressive sort are now 
the favorite method of pursuing this occu- 
pation. 

The afternoon card club, from three to 
six, is exempt from the trouble of providing 
refreshments. They are better omitted, 
for they merely disturb the concentration 
upon the game which veteran players like 
to bestow. A dinner may precede the 
card function, but should not be too long, 
as when people meet for cards they are apt 
to care comparatively little about any- 
thing else. Sometimes the club fees are 
appropriated to the purchase of prizes. 
This is a matter of club legislation. 

A pretty, new device in clubs is the travel 
club, where each member in turn gives 
an entertainment at her house, taking a 
particular journey over again with her 
guests that she has actually taken pre- 
viously. The time chosen is, naturally, 
the evening, when men as well as women 
are at leisure. The hostess sends out 
cards with the name of the especial journey 
she proposes to take written in a comer, as, 
''The St. Lawrence River Trip," or "To 
the Hebrides, " or anything with which she 



74 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

is perfectly familiar, and for which she has 
gathered material to furnish interesting 
information and make talk. Each guest 
has a chance to imbibe somewhere a bit of 
lore appropriate to the occasion, and on the 
occurrence of the meeting she is in the 
right atmosphere to enjoy what is coming. 
The making up of a particular mise en scene 
for a special travel-bout is something that 
may well exercise nice judgment. A good 
hostess will arrange her rooms with some 
reference to the country she proposes to 
talk about. Flags are hung around, ^ a 
map or so may be in evidence, and, if 
possible, the refreshments handed about 
or partaken of at the table bring to mind 
some native dishes. This is easy when the 
subject is a well-known foreign nation, 
such as Japan, Russia, or Belgium. A 
little investigation into the usual habits as 
to choice of food may be made in the 
various restaurants of different nation- 
alities if one resides in one of our large 
cities. Nowadays it is a ''fad" to pass an 
evening occasionally at some restaurant 
having a distinct nationality, as a Hun- 
garian restaurant, with Hungarian music 



INFORMAL LITTLE NOVELTIES 75 

given by the band, dishes a VHongrois, 
cooked by a native chef, and followed by 
leisurely coffee, while looking on at danc- 
ing in the Hungarian fashion performed in 
costume. One thus has a taste of Europe 
without the necessity of making a long 
journey. 

Turkish restaurants are at hand, also 
those run by Japanese and the industrious 
Chinamen. An intelligent woman on the 
search for new fancies may glean a handful 
of them by an evening passed at one of 
these native resorts. It goes without say- 
ing that some modification of the free and 
easy methods will be made in adapting 
them to the reserved atmosphere of an 
American home. 

A very odd entertainment that I heard 
described only the other day, so to speak, 
by a well-known professional woman whose 
business is the devising of new modes of 
amusements, is the device which for want 
of a distinct title may be termed the 
Acting Audience. A number of bright, 
enterprising guests are secured for a cer- 
tain evening, with the warning that all 
may be called upon to display their talents 



76 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

in the way of acting, but no definite in- 
formation given as to the specific parts 
they may be required to act. Then, when 
the gathering is complete, a space in the 
room is cleared, no attempt being made 
as to scenery or stage, a stage - manager 
chosen — great good judgment is necessary 
here, and if a person with experience can 
be secured it will enhance the probabilities 
of success — all the guests seated in front 
of the stage part, and the proceedings be- 
gin with the declaration from the stage- 
manager that a certain little comedy will 
now be enacted by members of the audience 
while the others criticize the performance; 
but after the critics have done their worst 
to pick out the weak spots in the represen- 
tation they will in turn take their places as 
performers and be likewise cut to pieces. 
A number of cheap copies of the play will 
have been purchased, which the guests 
will hastily run over in order to get some 
general idea of the scheme of it, but the 
point is that a large liberty in the way of 
carrying out this scheme or plot is per- 
mitted, the one essential being that the 
characters are in some original way de- 



INFORMAL LITTLE NOVELTIES 77 

veloped in the course of the acting. The 
woman who introduced this idea declared 
that in the whole course of her varied 
experience she had never seen so much real 
fun and wit as in a recent East Side 
humble entertainment at the home of a 
young matron whose resources were so 
limited in the way of hospitality that she 
was forced to make up in originality what 
she lacked in power to spend money on her 
friends. 

In such an entertainment it will natu- 
rally be wise for the stage-manager to 
select some very simple and generally 
known comedy or, even better, a farce, so 
that it may not be hurt by a free interpre- 
tation, as the point of it all is in giving the 
guests scope for their undeveloped talents 
for acting. It nearly always affords people 
great delight to take an active part in any 
sort of theatricals, the natural impulse of 
most persons being to think that they can 
do ever so much better than those who 
have been trying to fill out a role. And 
the advantage of this sort of entertainment 
is that there is not too much opportunity 
given to any particular bore who may 



78 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

happen to have crept in, as constant 
changing of the performers is the rule. 

Another simpler form of modish enter- 
tainment is the Blue Stocking Evening. 
A rather limited number of guests should 
be invited, because the spirit of the 
occasion is rather intimacy than for- 
mality. 

Cards are sent out for a Literary Even- 
ing, from, say, eight-thirty to ten-thirty, 
with the words ''In Character" in one 
corner. Each guest then chooses some 
favorite character to personate during the 
evening, learning quotations to utter on 
appropriate occasions, and, of course, as- 
suming as far as possible the characteristics 
of the author chosen for personation. It 
being a literary picnic, each guest will 
bring in some short recitation, either prose 
or verse, and at the right moment will 
entertain 'the company by reciting it. 
Such recitations should be limited to five 
minutes — no encores. Instead of quota- 
tions, original letters, supposed to have 
been written by the authors, can be sub- 
stituted. Still another variation of this 
sort of evening is to have it a reunion of 



INFORMAL LITTLE NOVELTIES 79 

wholly imaginary characters, as gnomes, 
fairies, mythical characters, and ghosts. 
Then in the place of quotations there may 
be speeches and conversations between the 
characters, a great deal of entertainment 
being derived from an interchange of views 
on worldly topics by characters coming 
from other spheres, as, for instance, the 
views of an inhabitant of Venus on the 
subject of Feminism or those of the realm 
of Neptune on Futurism applied to dress. 
Numberless variations may be spun out by 
an ingenious hostess who takes as her basis 
the modem fancy for specializing in the 
matter of entertainments — that is, having 
some specific plan in view instead of leav- 
ing things to chance. 

In small towns, where conventionality 
is very much deferred to in matters of real 
import but often set at defiance by original 
spirits when it comes to social affairs, there 
has lately grown up a craze for patriotic 
teas and dinners. If held in private homes 
the decorations, nevertheless, copy the 
fashion of the hall dinner in the way of 
flags and flowers belonging to the particu- 
lar festivity being celebrated. A Lincoln 



8o NOVEL WAYS OP ENTERTAINING 

dinner suggests at once a log-cabin design 
in the table decorations, servants habited 
in old-style negro raiment, such as was 
worn on plantations down South, and all 
sorts of such simple but deHcately served 
and well-seasoned food as may be made a 
reminder of our early Western civilization. 
A course of corn-pudding is a distinctive 
thing, and for those who have never eaten 
this dainty it will be a gastronomic delight 
not soon forgotten. As the Lincoln dinner 
is a favorite one, a simple menu may be in 
order. It is suggested that there be for 
the first course a puree of soup, preferably 
bean or pea, either of which may be made 
so nice that its homeliness will not detract 
from its popularity. Then the roast comes 
without intervention of complications be- 
longing to more advanced ways. With it 
vegetables are served, and there succeeds 
the entree, salad, and dessert, and afterward 
nuts and fruit. For those to whom the 
corn-pudding alluded to — a real Lincoln 
dish, as the writer happens to know, be- 
cause a cook employed at one time in the 
home of the martyr President afterward 
became the family domestic in her own 



INFORMAL LITTLE NOVELTIES 8i 

mother's home — may be tinknown, the 
recipe is here given: 

Scrape the corn from one dozen ears of 
sugar- corn, add four well-beaten eggs, half 
a pint of milk, quarter of a pound of butter 
(melted), one teaspoonful of salt, a table- 
spoonful of sugar, quarter of a cup of 
grated cracker-crumbs, a cup of cream, or 
half a cup if it is desired to make the dish 
a trifle less rich, and beat together thor- 
oughly. Pour into a buttered pudding- 
dish and bake carefully in a moderate oven 
for half to three-quarters of an hour. It 
must be served in the dish in which it was 
baked, and may be passed around as the 
entre course, with tiny bits of toasted 
bread. 



V 

THE ORIENTAL WAY 

I. The Chinese Dinner 

CHINESE cooking has become very- 
popular of recent years in America. 
The restaurants are no longer merely re- 
sorts of curious idlers intent upon study- 
ing types peculiar to Chinatown, for Chi- 
nese restaurants have pushed their way 
out of Chinatown, and are now foimd in 
all parts of the large cities of America. 
Their patronage to-day is of the' very best, 
and many of their dishes are justly famous. 

One of the most popular of the New 
York restaurants recently engaged a Chi- 
nese chef with the intention of serving 
Chinese dishes. 

There is no reason why these should not 
be cooked and served in any American 
home. It is true that the average Chinese 



THE ORIENTAL WAY Ss 

cook becomes as inscrutable as the sphinx 
when asked by a ''foreign devil" for a 
recipe; and even when, under exceptional 
circumstances, he is induced to part with 
one, he generally leaves out a vital ingre- 
dient, so that the American seldom really 
obtains the true Chinese dish. That is 
why many who have experimented with 
Chinese cooking at home complain it does 
not taste the same as the dishes served in 
the Chinese restaurants. 

The ingredients which go to make up 
the various Chinese dishes when not ob- 
tainable in the regular American stores can 
all be bought in the Chinese stores of the 
larger cities in America, particularly New 
York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and 
Montreal. They can be ordered by mail, 
packed carefully and expressed by these 
Chinese stores to any part of the country. 

A Chinese dinner, properly served, 
proves a delightful and novel form of 
entertainment. It should be served, of 
course, in the purely Chinese fashion, 
which lends an added charm and mystery 
to the dishes themselves. 

The table or tables should be of teak- 



84 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

wood or some black, polished wood. In 
summer, if served on the veranda, bamboo 
may be used. It is not as effective as the 
teakwood, however. 

The setting of the table should be in 
harmony with the fascinating and curious 
Chinese dishes. These are not the com- 
mon, gaudy articles (''American-Chinese") 
which the guileless seeker in Chinatown 
purchases from the bland and impassive 
Oriental salesman, and which are spread 
abroad on the counters of Mr. Chinaman's 
stores for the especial benefit of his mis- 
guided American -customers. Many of 
these articles are manufactured in Amer- 
ica and are not Chinese at all. The 
Chinese them^selves do not use them. 

The nicest china is a certain kind of 
Canton ware, heavy, stubby, almost crude 
in shape and form. You will notice it 
on the tables of the high -class Chinese 
restaurants. Some of the pieces are in 
quaint forms, and the peculiar soup-spoons 
of figured porcelain or china ware, the 
tiny liqueur cups, and syou (sometimes 
called soy) cups are exceedingly pretty 
and attractive. 



THE ORIENTAL WAY 85 

Chinese decorations should be hung upon 
the walls and suspended above the tables. 
The wall decorations consist chiefly of 
ornamental scrolls, Chinese paintings on 
silk or gauze (they are inexpensive and 
very showy), Chinese embroidery, etc. 
The swinging decorations consist chiefly 
of bells and gongs, ornamental flowers, and 
short Chinese swords of ''cash," each coin 
worth but the fraction of a cent, but 
treasured as a good-luck symbol. 

Table-cloths are not used by the Chinese, 
the meal being served on the bare, polished 
table. If, however, cloths are especially 
desired, only Chinese linens should be 
used, and these should never be a dead 
white. Blue, purple, or yellow cloths, 
with especial designs, blend satisfactorily 
with the Chinese ware, with its bright 
colorings and fantastic designs. 

In the center of the table a Chinese 
bonbon-dish is set. This is an elaborate 
and beautiful article and takes the place 
of the American centerpiece. It can be 
very costly or inexpensive. It has about 
six to eight compartments, each of which 

is filled with what one might call Chinese 

7 



86 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

hors d^ceuvre, such as sugared and preserved 
ginger, lychee nuts, lily -root candy, al- 
monds salted and sugared, limes in syrup, 
melon-seeds salted and baked, sugared 
beans, and other sweets and nuts, all ob- 
tainable in Chinese stores, and perfectly 
delicious — superior, in my opinion, to any 
of the Western confections. There are 
certain Chinese seeds, nuts, and candies 
that would delight the palate of the 
most exacting of epicures. Chinese pre- 
served ginger is famous. Bought in sealed 
cans in the Chinese grocery stores, it is 
much cheaper than that sold in American 
stores. 

Four Chinese bowls, containing white 
pebbles and Chinese lilies (grown from the 
bulb), are placed at the fotir comers of the 
bonbon center bowl. These are the flower 
decorations, and very quaint and attractive 
they are, when in flower especially. 

At each place is set a small tea-cup, 
handleless, a tiny liqueur cup, about twice 
the size of a thimble, a porcelain or china 
spoon — a very pretty article, usually ar- 
tistically decorated — and a pair of chop- 
sticks. A fork may be substituted for 



THE ORIENTAL WAY 87 

chopsticks, though the manipulation of the 
latter is an easy matter, and adaptable to 
Chinese food. Knives are never used, as 
all the food is cut in small pieces. 

Bread, butter, potatoes, etc., are never 
used by the Chinese. Tea is drunk plain, 
with neither sugar nor cream, but great 
care should be used in the brewing of the 
tea. After pouring the boiling water over 
the tea-leaves it should not be allowed to 
stand more than two or three minutes 
before serving, and on no account set upon 
a hot stove where it will be likely to 
boil. 

Rice, of coiu*se, is indispensable at a 
Chinese dinner, and this should be cooked 
in that peculiarly delectable fashion of 
which the Oriental people alone are past- 
masters. The secret of the solid, flaky, 
almost dry, yet thoroughly cooked rice 
lies in the fact that it has not boiled more 
than thirty minutes, is covered about 
twenty minutes, then uncovered and set 
on the back of the stove till the water has 
simmered and been absorbed, then it is 
covered with a cloth or napkin till ready 
to serve. Mushy, overcooked, wet, slimy 



88 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

rice is never served by the Chinese. 
Sweetened rice, rice-puddings, etc, are nev- 
er eaten by the Chinese. Rice, in fact, 
takes the place of such staples as bread 
and potatoes. It is served in round, deep, 
individual bowls, that are replenished con- 
stantly throughout the meal. 

In China, with the exception of rice, 
bonbons, etc., food is served in one large 
dish or bowl, out of which all eat, using 
their chopsticks. Considerable etiquette 
governs the manner of picking desired 
morsels from the bowl, it being bad form 
and a sign of ill-breeding to seize greedily 
upon the choicest pieces or to eat more 
quickly than your neighbor. 

A Chinese dinner begins with tea or with 
Chinese whisky or wine, which is drunk 
throughout the meal, a sip at a time, as 
it is very strong. No sugar or cream is 
used. Syou, a Chinese sauce similar to 
Worcestershire, is served with the meats. 
Syou, or soy, is obtainable at almost 
any Chinese store. Worcestershire and 
all similar European sauces are said 
to be adaptations of the original Chi- 
nese syou, and most of the European 



THE ORIENTAL WAY 89 

sauces contain syou in their make-up. It 
lends a flavor to any dish, and is greatly 
esteemed by the Chinese. 

Little wooden toothpicks are used to eat 
the preserves with. They are very pretty, 
sometimes made of silver and ivory, and 
would make charming favors. Paper nap- 
kins are used. They come in a variety of 
colors and designs. 

Following is a typical Chinese menu 
which can be prepared in any American 
kitchen. The dishes are served in this 
order : 

Tea and Chinese Wine 
Gar Grun Yung Waa (Bird's-nest Soup) 
Ten Suin Gune (Sweet and Sour Fish) 
Boo Loo Gai (Pineapple Chicken) 
Duck Chow Main Gar Lu Chop-suey- 

Deviled Cucumbers 
Chinese Dried Mushrooms and Green Peppers 
Golden Limes Preserved Apricots 

Lychee Nuts Pickled Sour Ginger 

Assorted Chinese Cakes 



The recipes for the various dishes are 
given below. The dish in each case is 
sufficient for six persons. 



90 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 
Gar Grmt Yung Waa {Bird' s-nest Soup) 

I lb. bird's-nest }4 lb. of cooked breast 

1 qt. of chicken-soup of chicken 

stock ^ lb. of minced ham 

2 hard-boiled eggs i}^ teaspoonfuls of salt 

Bird's-nest is obtainable at any Chinese 
store. It is a gelatinous composition, a 
species of seaweed, with which certain 
Chinese birds — the esculent swallow, the 
white -backed swallow, the gray -backed 
swallow — ^build their nests. It is also 
found in Java. It is one of the most de- 
licious of Chinese foods, and esteemed and 
praised not alone by the Chinese, but by all 
travelers in the Orient. 

To make the soup the bird's-nest is first 
boiled one hour, then drained and put into 
cold water. Meanwhile the cooked chick- 
en meat is well poimded so as not to be in 
large or hard pieces, and a cup of the cold 
stock is added to it. Next the bird's-nest 
is taken from the cold water and well 
drained and added to the soup-stock. 
Boil for half an hour. Now the chicken 
meat is added and also the eggs, the latter 
having previously been finely crumbled. 



THE ORIENTAL WAY 91 

The soup is taken off the fire as it begins to 
boil again after the last addition. Before 
serving the minced ham is sprinkled on 
top. 

Ten Suin Gune (Sweet and Sour Fish) 

2 lbs. of sea-bass i tablespoonful of salt 

i^ cups of water 2}4 tablespooafuls of 

i>^ tablespoonfuls of vinegar 

sugar 

Clean a sea-bass weighing two pounds. 
Take out all the insides, taking care to 
keep the fish whole. Put it into a medium- 
sized deep dish, large enough to fit the 
fish, pour over it nearly boiling water, cov- 
ering the [fish completely. Cover with a 
lid to fit the dish. Do not boil, but keep 
it hot for one hour. Prepare the following 
sauce: to a cup and a half of cold water 
add one tablespoonful of salt, one and a 
half tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Mix all 
smoothly, and boil until it thickens, stirring 
constantly to prevent burning. Dish the 
fish up and place on a dry, hot platter. 
Pour over it the sauce and serve with 
rice. 



92 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 
Boo Loo Gai {Pineapple Chicken) 

I young chicken, about i tablespoonful of syou 

2}4 lbs. I can of preserved pine- 

1 tablespoonful of sweet apple 
lard 

Wash and singe a fresh young chicken 
and cut off all the flesh. Slice in small 
pieces. Put a tablespoonful of sweet lard 
in the pan and fry the chicken a golden 
brown. Add one tablespoonful of syou, 
then one can of preserved pineapple, and 
cook very slowly for fifteen minutes. Dish 
up very hot and serve with rice. 

Duck Chow Main 

i^ lbs. of chopped duck i}4 teaspoonfuls of salt 

meat 4 ozs. of pork 

^ lb. of threaded breast 2 stalks of celery 

of cooked duck i onion 

2 hard-boiled eggs ^4 lb. of fresh mush- 
14 lb. of noodles rooms 

I qt. of peanut-oil 2 tablespoonfuls of syou 

Have the peanut-oil boiling hot, then 
toss the noodles in (use very fine noodles). 
Fry until crisp, then take from oil and 
strain off all fat, while preparing the 



THE ORIENTAL WAY 93 

following: take four ounces of pork (lean), 
chop and fry a light brown; now add the 
duck meat, also chopped fine. Fry both 
together for ten minutes. Add two stalks 
of celery, cut small, one chopped onion, 
and one-half pound of fresh mushrooms 
cut in slices. Add to those one and a half 
teaspoonfuls of salt, two tablespoonfuls of 
syou, and let simmer for fifteen minutes. 
Take the noodles, which have been thor- 
oughly drained from fat, and place on hot 
platter, forming a layer at bottom of dish. 
Place the duck, etc., on top, and lastly 
a layer of finely threaded duck breast. 
Garnish with the yolks of eggs crimibled 
on top. Serve very hot. 



Gar Lu Chop-suey, with Chinese Dried 
Mushrooms 

yi lb. of pork I doz. lotus seeds 
1^. lb. of beef ^ can of bamboo sprouts 
y% clove of garlic i>2 lbs. of bean sprouts 
2 onions 2 tablespoonfuls of syou 
14. bunch of celery i>^ teaspoonfuls of salt 
yi lb. of Chinese dried Dash of Cayenne pep- 
mushrooms per 



94 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

First thoroughly wash the dried Chinese 
mushrooms in several waters. Pull off all 
the stalks and put to soak for ten or 
fifteen minutes, while preparing the follow- 
ing: cut in small pieces about one-half a 
pound of pork (not too fat) and one-half 
pound of beef, also cut small. Fry in a 
tablespoonful of sweet lard until a nice 
brown. Chop half a bunch of celery, and 
add with the dried mushrooms (drained) 
to the meat. Chop up two onions very 
small and a diminutive piece of garlic, two 
tablespoonfuls of syou, salt, and a dash of 
Cayenne. Add, and let all boil slowly for 
ten minutes. Slice the lotus seeds and add 
these, then the half-can of bamboo sprouts. 
Let all cook another five minutes. Lastly, 
add one and a half pounds of bean sprouts 
and cook ten minutes more. Serve with 
rice. 

Deviled Cucumbers 

Peel cucumbers and place in dish with a 
handful of salt. Leave for ten minutes, 
then rinse with very cold water and drain. 
Place a tablespoonful of sweet lard (butter 
or olive-oil if preferred) in pan, and when 



THE ORIENTAL WAY 95 

very hot fry the cucumbers, rolHng them 
about in the pan and taking care not to 
break them. Add a tablespoonful of syou 
and a dash of Cayenne. Cover tightly and 
simmer until transparent. 

Chinese Mushrooms and Green Peppers 

Wash and soak one quart of Chinese 
dried mushrooms, pulling off all the stalks, 
and cut in slices. Clean and cut up three 
sweet green peppers, one small onion, a 
grain of garlic, and a tablespoonful of syou. 
Place one tablespoonful of olive-oil in pan, 
and when hot put in the mushrooms. Fry 
for five minutes. Add the other ingredi- 
ents, a teaspoonf ul of salt and one of sugar. 
Simmer gently for fifteen minutes. 

Golden limes, preserved apricots, lychee 
nuts, pickled sour ginger, assorted cakes, 
etc., all come prepared, and can be bought 
in any Chinese store. 

2. The Chinese Tea 

Possibly no form of Chinese entertain- 
ment at home is more popular than a 



96 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

^'Chinese tea." ^'Tiffin" in the East is 
something not merely the natives, but 
foreigners in China and Japan, cannot do 
without. Here in America ''tea" served 
Chinese fashion becomes a pretty func- 
tion to which one may cheerfully bid one's 
friends. 

Chinese decorations — ^lanterns, incense- 
bowls, etc. — and Chinese flowers, these 
are all one needs to give the Oriental 
touch to the most commonplace of Amer- 
ican rooms for this special occasion. 
Chinese roses are always used on festive 
occasions, and these are inconceivably 
beautiful. They are very decorative, be- 
ing as large and as brilliant in color as 
peonies. Beautiful artificial flowers are 
obtainable in all the Chinese stores ; indeed, 
there are many Chinese and Japanese 
stores entirely devoted to the sale of these 
lovely artificial flowers. 

I attended a tea in China given in the 
studio of a famous French artist. Almost 
the entire room was decked with artificial 
roses (Chinese roses), and so lifelike were 
these, with their dark-green background of 
leaves, that it took some time to realize 



THE ORIENTAL WAY 97 

they were not real. To add to their at- 
tractiveness our host obtained a number 
of very large butterflies, and these, set 
loose in the room, fluttered gaily about the 
flowers. The effect was charming, re- 
freshing, and graceful (it was a cold winter 
day). In China and Japan butterflies, and 
for outdoor entertainments fireflies, are 
always used at parties, the latter being 
set free from cages at dusk, and helping 
the lanterns actually illiuninate the gar- 
dens. 

Tea should be served from six to seven. 
Of course, five-o'clock tea is always nice, 
when only tea and little cakes are served, 
but this is a function that takes the place 
of what the English call ''high tea," and 
one's guests must be given something sub- 
stantial to eat. It is something between 
a tea and a supper, but is a meal. 

A library, living-room, or studio is a 
more desirable place to serve tea than the 
dining-room or drawing-room. In fact, it 
should be a room where there are wide 
couches, window-seats, stools, low seats, 
etc., for no tables are set for this re- 
past. Everything is served on Chinese 



98 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

tea-poys, those small trays that are like 
small tables with their legs cut short. 

Tea-poy means in Chinese a post. These 
come in sets of three or four, and are in 
form exactly like the tables used for 
euchre, the latter being reaUy adaptations 
of the original Chinese tea-poys. The tea- 
poys are placed at the guests' elbows. 
Trays can be placed on couches for those 
guests who like to take their refreshments 
reclining. 

Nothing is nicer than a delicious cup 
of finely flavored Chinese tea properly 
brewed and served. Nothing is poorer 
than a sloppily made, dingy, boiled, or 
stewed cup. Pay very especial attention 
to the making of tea. If possible, prepare 
it on the table or, at any rate, in the same 
room in which it is to be served. The 
most expensive teas allowed to boil or made 
with water that is not boiling, but merely 
hot, are not as fragrant as the poorest kind 
of tea properly made. 

To make Chinese tea to perfection, 
thoroughly rinse and scald a Chinese tea- 
bowl with boiling water. Place a teaspoon 
of tea to each cup required. Do not allow 



THE ORIENTAL WAY 99 

the water to boil more than a moment, but 
as soon as ** crabs' eyes" begin to show in 
the bottom of the kettle brew the tea. To 
each teaspoonf 111 of tea allow one ordinary 
cup of boiling water. Pour the water 
over the leaves and steep for not more 
than three minutes. Pour off tea from 
leaves and make it fresh again and again 
until your tea-party is over. For those 
who must have their tea sweet I suggest 
the little Chinese sugared flowers. Lemon, 
brandy, caraway - seeds, or cream — all of 
these Chinese tea-drinkers regard with un- 
disguised amusement, considering them the 
*' foreign-devil" accompaniment of Chinese 
tea. 

Here are two recipes for the famous 
almond and gold cakes so often served with 
the delicious Chinese afternoon tea : 

Almond Cake 

2 cups of rice flour }^ cup of almond-oil 

}^ cup of chopped al- i>^ cups of powdered 
monds sugar 

Mix two cups of rice flour, one and a 
half of powdered sugar, and half a cup of 



loo NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

blanched almonds, chopped very fine. 
When thoroughly mixed work in the 
almond-oil. Moisten with two beaten 
eggs. Use no water. If too stiff, use an- 
other egg. Roll about a quarter of an 
inch thick and cut in fanciful shapes. 
Place half an almond in the center and 
bake one hour in a moderate oven. These 
cakes will keep a long time if kept in a tin 
box. 

Gum Lu (Gold Cakes) 

i}4 cups of rice flour 2 teaspoonfuls of goose 

I cup of honey fat 

1/5 cup of chopped 2 yolks of eggs 

mixed nuts i pinch of salt 

To one and a half cups of rice flour add 
a pinch of salt. Work two teaspoonfuls 
of clarified goose fat into flour. Chop up 
about a quarter of a cup of mixed nuts very 
fine. Beat the yolks of two eggs and mix 
all together. Lastly, pour in one cup of 
raw, dark honey. If it is too moist, add 
more flour. Stir it for ten or fifteen min- 
utes thoroughly, then pour in small, fan- 
cifully shaped cake-pans, oiling the pans 
well. Bake two hours in a slow oven. 



VI 

OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 

I. Dining on the Roof 

THE city roofs are an tindiscovered 
coiintry. Why economic man, usu- 
ally so alive to the value of space, should 
allow so much of it to go to waste is 
especially surprising at a season when the 
roof catches all the breezes for which hu- 
manity is suffering in the houses and 
streets below. 

At night a roof is as comfortable as an 
open lawn in the country ; more so if it is a 
high one on top of one of the much de- 
spised sky-scrapers. Then it is more like 
the top of a mountain, with its sweeping 
view of the surrounding cotmtry, of setting 
sun and rising moon. There is no more 

perfect place to watch the wonderful 
8 



102 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

progression of the stars from east to west, 
to study out their mysteries and marvel 
at their beauties, where neither hill, house, 
nor tree intervenes. 

We did not discover our roof imtil last 
summer, so that we cannot afford to be too 
scornful of our unenlightened neighbors. 
We watched them crowding their front 
steps and fanning desperately at open 
windows, and then raised our eyes pity- 
ingly to the breeze-swept roofs above them, 
remembering oin* own imenlightened state 
of the summer before. 

We were unusually fortunate in finding 
our roof particularly inviting. There was 
a high cornice, so that the dizziest person 
could not lose her head, and a fiat-tiled roof 
that could easily be kept clean. Deck can- 
vas would make a very good substitute 
for the tiles if any of you find that your 
roofs are covered with tin or gravel. 

We immediately invested in some steam- 
er-chairs and spent long, happy evenings 
inviting the breezes to blow and studying 
the courses of the stars. 

Our happiness reached a climax, how- 
ever, when we discovered that we could 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 103 

give picnic dinners and share our breezes 
and stars with our friends. 

The practical obstacles to our plan made 
us hesitate for a second, only to discover 
means for overcoming them as the idea 
developed. Furniture, dishes, food, must 
all be transported hither, and servants 
must not be disgruntled. We had an 
elevator, but there was one flight of stairs 
beyond it. It was understood, of course, 
that all the roof dinners w^ere to be pic- 
nic dinners with the minimum amotmt 
of furniture, dishes, napery, and service. 
Each person was to carry all she could 
when she went up. 

Two folding card-tables solved the table 
problem very comfortably. They were easy 
to carry, and when placed together seated 
us all without crowding. We did not 
solve the chair problem satisfactorily last 
'summer, but intend this summer to have 
either folding canvas chairs or folding 
garden-chairs costing from one to two 
dollars each. If we have garden-chairs 
we will keep them on the roof imder a 
tarpaulin, so that our dresses will not be 
stained with rain and soot. The folding 



104 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

canvas chairs are easily carried up and 
down or packed tinder the tarpaulin, 
whichever may be more convenient. 

We bought white paper napkins by the 
quantity, but found a paper table-cloth im- 
practicable on account of the wind. We 
used our simplest dishes and as few of 
them as possible. We were able to carry 
up all that were needed on one tray and 
thus lessen the danger of breakage. If one 
wished to make it still more of a picnic and 
save the labor of dish- washing afterward, 
paper plates and dishes could be used. 

A secondary tray bore the food, with in- 
dividual assistance from guests and host- 
esses. A large low basket or hamper would 
have been very useful for carrying both 
food and dishes. Still better possibly 
would have been one of the large wooden 
trays with high sides, such as one sees in 
country hotels. A folding-stand to hold 
it while the table was being set would also 
have saved much inconvenience. 

Our dinners were, of course, always cold. 
They were made up of cold meat or chick- 
en, rolls, salad served with the meat, and a 
dessert, usually ice-cream. Here are a few 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 105 

of our menus planned from the standpoint 
of minimizing service: 



Chicken in Aspic 

Cherry Salad with French Dressing 

French Rolls Pickles 

Claret Lemonade 

Vanilla Ice-cream Cup Cakes 

n 

Cold Lamb, Mint Sauce Cold Biscuits 

String-bean Salad, French Dressing 

Cream Cheese 

Plain Lemonade Cantaloups 

in 

Cold Roast Beef, Horseradish Sauce 
Lettuce Sandwiches Spanish Salad 

Tomatoes and Green Peppers 
Fruit Lemonade Coffee Mousse 

Our roof soon became a very popular 
evening resort for those obliged to spend 
the hot weather in the city. We even 
found that by placing our lamp in a comer 
protected by the high cornice we could 
read and study there in comfort. 

A few city roofs have been made into 



io6 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

more or less elaborate roof-gardens, charm- 
ing but expensive, with rustic houses, 
awnings, and flowers. In this way they 
can be made very attractive for use in the 
daytime as well as in the evening. 

For a moderate outlay it would be pos- 
sible to have a few flower-boxes filled with 
hardy geraniums and vines, a canvas 
swing with a wooden standard and ad- 
justable awning cover, a few covered beach 
chairs, and possibly one of the new metal 
tables with a huge eight-foot khaki um- 
brella over it. Bay-trees and box-trees 
growing in tubs would add very much to 
the garden effect. 

If you can indulge in more permanent 
fumitiH'e, the rustic hickory, tables and 
chairs will weather storms very well, and 
one of the new hand-woven rush mats 
will take away from the bare effect of the 
roof floor. 

If your roof is your own it will make a 
splendid out-of-door sleeping-room for you. 
For protection from sun and storm you can 
have either an awning or a tent. Some 
people put up small houses inclosed on 
all sides with windows or shutters that 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 107 

can be easily closed in a storm. The port- 
able houses are very practicable and not at 
all expensive. 

Canvas army cots make fairly comfort- 
able beds and are easily manipulated. A 
canvas tent with several of these is un- 
doubtedly the cheapest outfit for roof- 
sleeping. If the roof is high above those 
aroimd it, so that the occupants will not 
be exposed to surrounding windows, the 
large canvas swings with box springs and 
mattresses and adjustable awning covers 
will be more comfortable than the tent- 
covered cots when there is no danger of 
storms. They have the added advantage 
of being easily transformed into mere 
awnings in the daytime without the 
slightest suggestion of beds. 

If your roof is impracticable for summer 
use on account either of a slight slant or of 
a low coping, you may be able to have a 
temporary floor put in with a raised coping 
that can be removed with it in the fall. 
Frequently, if the roof is large and covered 
with gravel, a partial floor is built in one 
comer with a protecting railing. This 
small portion may also have a roof with 



io8 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

annual vines, planted in boxes, draping its 
rustic pillars. 

Soot from adjacent chimneys is a diffi- 
ctilty not easily overcome. In fact, there 
seems to be no cure for it other than to 
cover chairs when not in use with canvas 
tarpaulins. If mosquitoes are troublesome 
at that height, as they too frequently are, 
the little roof-house may be screened in 
like a country porch. 

If you must be among the '* stay-at- 
homes" this summer, why not invest a 
small portion of the amoimt you would 
spend on a vacation trip in making your 
roof habitable? When you explore it you 
may find it as comfortable as we found 
ours, at least for evening use. If your city 
is on the coast, you may find yourselves 
the envied possessors of ocean views and 
breezes; if in the interior, of river and 
meadow views, second only to those from 
the surrounding hills and moimtains. 

2, Hunt and Golf Luncheons 

The shooting luncheon is often a most 
elaborate affair, served in the house, with 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 109 

the usual retinue of servants and plenitude 
of luxurious food. But sometimes it is 
another but quite as enjoyable a thing: 
an outdoor repast, of which the practical 
point, the cooking- tent, is as much in 
obscurity as possible, while the pastoral 
glamour is spread over the little feast. Up 
to October there is no reason why the 
lunch should not be served out of doors, 
comfortable wicker chairs and small tables 
being provided on the lawn, where the food 
is quickly conveyed by deft-handed at- 
tendants from the tent presided over by 
an expert cook or chef. For this is no 
make-believe repast, consisting of filmy 
nothings, but a splendid limcheon pro- 
vided for hungry men, keenly alive to the 
comfort of substantials, with good wines 
and perfect coffee to follow. 

In our climate — that is, that which 
generally prevails in the Eastern and 
Middle States — September furnishes the 
richest feasts in the shape of seasonable 
fruits and vegetables. It is in good taste 
to have table decorations harmonize with 
the season, having a centerpiece of rich 
grapes and pears and peaches mingled with 



no NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

autumn leaves, some especially pretty spec- 
imens of the maple and oak leaf being 
formed into individual bouquets for each 
place at the table. 

A sort of tradition of English plenitude 
clings to men's ideas of what is appropriate 
to hunting limcheons, and they like roast 
beef or mutton, steaks and kidney stews, 
potpies and birds on toast that have some- 
thing on their bones — not the trifling reed- 
birds that are often merely delusions and 
snares to appetite. Good fresh bread there 
shoiild be, and crisp toast with' the excellent 
salad. Cheese is in order, but less atten- 
tion need be given to desserts, for to the 
healthy outdoor hunger of men and women 
engaged for hours in the excitement of the 
chase sweets are little welcome. 

The hunting hostess has an important 
role before her, for the hunt luncheon is not 
the least part of the enjoyment of the hunt. 
It fills in the leisurely interval after the 
hard morning, spent in going over the 
pleasures of the chase after pheasant and 
hare that gave good sport. In England 
the repast is often served just at the edge of 
the forest, on a single long table, roughly 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS iii 

but substantially constructed of logs, over 
which are boards covered by a white cloth. 
This use of one table, when the party is 
not too large, brings the crowd into more 
social relations and makes the occasion 
really convivial. The mingling of women 
in this sport is of comparatively modem 
fashion. Not so very long ago a woman 
who went shooting was deemed ** rather 
rapid," and the feminine element on the 
field was a secret discomfiture to the 
men. Time has changed all that. At 
present many noted society women are 
rated among the best shots, and they give 
the men considerable occupation in keeping 
abreast of their skill with the rifle and shot- 
gun. To be the attendant loader of a 
woman of this kind is no sinecure, for the 
business of quickly changing guns is quite 
an art in itself. The best modem gun for 
women is the sixteen-bore, which is light 
and siu*e of aim. 

Portable stoves are an essential part of 
the equipment for an outdoor lunch, and 
they are always placed in advance in the 
cooking-tent along with a complete outfit of 
utensils and dishes, so that service may be 



112 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

as rapid and smooth as if the meal was 
indoors. Everything that is meant to be 
hot ought to be really hot, not lukewarm. 
Few things are more distasteful than half- 
warmed dishes whose flavor depends on 
the preservation of the very spirit of the 
fire that has aroused their elements to 
harmonious mingling. 

It is alleged that shooting is just "mak- 
ing a business of pleasure," and that now, 
when our wild animals are become so tame 
and sport is almost a thing of hypocrisy 
the continuation of it is only a luxury of 
idle millionaires put to it to get through 
the long autumn days. However that 
may be, while the pastime continues there 
is no reason for not adding to it the ad- 
junct that makes it the more human and 
sociable; the luncheon brings the whole 
crowd together in agreeable informality 
and perhaps furnishes a simpler mode of 
deepening mere acquaintanceships into 
friendships than almost any other outdoor 
game. In everything else the wits of 
persons are pitted directly against one 
another and the sense of rivalry is imme- 
diately aroused. The golf temper has 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 113 

been talked about as something formi- 
dable, and in older games, such as croquet 
and archery, jealousies and rages were 
only smothered by hard-remembered nur- 
sery lessons in decent courtesy. But hunt- 
ing affords opporttmity for mild sarcasms, 
for adroit criticisms, but less chances of 
enmity, the real issue nowadays being 
scarcely who has bagged the most game, 
but who has shown most the spirit of the 
true sportsman and genial good fellow. 

Besides the hunt luncheon, himt teas 
are given, little meals of the nature of the 
everlasting five o'clock, served in the same 
fashion, but unfailingly provided with 
dainty sandwiches of thin bread and butter 
inlaid with minced meat or with mar- 
malade, whose accompaniment is the 
steaming tea-urn. Whether the tea be 
made after the recipe of Leigh Himt or 
that of the Chinese authority, both given 
in due course above, or made after some 
especial formula of the hostess, reckoned 
by herself infallible, by all means let it be 
perpetually and sizzlingly hot. It is a 
pleasant surprise, as a rule, to receive 
from the hands of a charming little lady 



114 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

who is acting hostess at a lawn tea a cup 
of absolutely drinkable tea, hot enough 
to dissolve the sugar and to relieve that 
craving for internal comfort tired nerves 
begin to feel about this hour of the day. 
Hot bouillon is not amiss at the hunt 
tea, and, if perfectly made, few things are 
better appetizers or stimulants for the 
late dinner. I have myself tried nearly all 
the ready-made preparations, and prefer 
the home-made bouillon to any of them. 
It should be clear as amber and have the 
accompaniment of salted crackers or tiny 
crotons and be served in dainty bouillon- 
cups. 

J. Beach Spreads 

It was mid-July, and a night when to 
escape the swarming mosquitoes became 
the chief object of life. "Let's build a fire 
on the shore," suggested a bright spirit. 
"And take along something to cook, so 
as to turn the fire to good use," added 
another. Done — amid jubilant applause. 
One able-bodied person carried a coffee-pot 
and casserole, that modernized mud-bowl 
of oiu- ancestors; some one else carried a 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 115 

bag of rolls and a jar of olives, together 
with an onion hastily begged of the cook 
upon her asking what seasoning it was pro- 
posed to put into the fricassee daringly sug- 
gested by the inquisitive person who had 
spied out half a cold roast chicken and 
some slices of ham on the pantry shelf. 
Some boiled rice was the spoil of another 
helper, and the salt and pepper was tri- 
umphantly borne aloft by the man who 
prided himself upon his presence of mind. 
As the procession moved off the cook 
was seen wildly waving something aloft 
in the back doorway, which proved to be 
a piece of butter well wrapped in 'oiled 
paper. It certainly came in conveniently 
later on. 

Some other matters of a minor nature 
were several dozens of imopened oysters, 
contraband goods at the minus ''R" sea- 
son, but accidentally of excellent quality, 
having been trapped that same day by the 
small boys of the family while doing some 
deep-sea fishing, and reluctantly given up 
on the assuaging application of a dollar 
bill to their woimded sensibilities. *' Roast 
oysters, oh my!" articulated the Western 



ii6 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

girl on a visit, to whom seashore delights 
were novel pastimes. And roast oysters it 
was, as soon as enough sticks and logs had 
been industriously collected by the half- 
dozen men of brawn and the match applied 
to the splendid pile. It was a picturesque 
sight, those strikingly costumed men and 
women of all ages, in ulsters and sweaters 
hurriedly drawn over evening attire, dodg- 
ing about the fire with little shrieks of 
dismay and astonishment as the oysters 
sputtered and the mess in the casserole 
gave forth natural odors. Most of the 
party, which ntimbered about a score, sat 
on shawls and wraps on the sand, while 
the active ones busied themselves in the 
play-housekeeping. They meanly criticized 
when the coffee boiled over and did not 
ignore the absence of sugar, which appeared 
so impossible a deprivation that the 
youngest member of the party was de- 
spatched on a wild chase to the house for it 
while the feast waited. Each person be- 
ing supplied with a paper plate, adroitly 
slipped in by the old housekeeper along 
with the box of crackers and a cup — also an 
afterthought and the occasion of another 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 117 

trip to the house — ^hot oysters began to 
walk along, convoyed on chips, and slid 
onto the waiting plates tintil the cooks 
rebelled at the appetites of the feasters 
and went on strike for rations. Then 
the Western girl and her devoted pair 
of attendants confidently undertook their 
turn at the spit, and finished the bivalves 
amid applause. Second course from the 
casserole, consisting of a most savory 
stew, was shoveled onto the accommodat- 
ing plates, and, eked out with crackers and 
the little dinner rolls, made up a decidedly 
substantial feast for the hour of the night 
— ten o'clock. Naturally, the New York 
girl had a fresh box of bonbons up her 
sleeve, and the men dispensed Egyptian 
cigarettes ad libitum. Now singing began 
in a great spontaneous burst, and the beach 
was made hilarious with all the latest sen- 
timents, from Gotham flimg onto the warm 
night air. Mandolins appeared in myste- 
rious fashion, a banjo sprang forth as by 
magic, and the superb tenor of the musical 
guest led an amateur concert that made the 
fierce buzzing of hateful insects appear but 
incidental discords from a badly timed in- 

9 



ii8 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

strument in the most obscure comer of the 
orchestra. 

And when singing became old story-tell- 
ing became popular, and while the two men 
of tireless energy kept the fire supplied 
with logs that gave forth a bright blaze 
which lit up the faces of pretty women and 
betrayed touchingly confidential attitudes 
in some newly married couples present, old 
sea tales were rolled forth by the host, a 
genial giant of a being, with the full brown 
beard and merry eyes of one of Conrad's 
heroes and a big voice that penetrated ears 
half deaf to any other melody than that 
being whispered near by. 

The esthete rose and gracefully began 
kicking the paper bags and oyster-shells 
into the waves as they rose nearer on the 
beach, observing that they interfered with 
his sense of fitness. Then the small boys, 
who had been bribed into passivity hither- 
to, rose to the enjoyment of their natu- 
ral privileges and with a whoop began an 
Indian war-dance on the sand with so much 
vigor that the grown persons began to feel 
renewed energy in exhausted frames, and, 
seizing partners, joined in an impromptu 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 119 

tango, the only motion possible on such a 
flooring; and soon the entire crowd was 
whirling about, heat and languor forgotten, 
while the ''sad sea waves" beat a mighty 
but soft accompaniment to the dance 
which ended the beach spread. 



VII 

THE QUESTION OF DECORATIONS 

ONE departure from old-time arrange- 
ments that strikingly emphasizes the 
desire for originality is the tendency to 
specialize in decorations so as to establish 
an intimate association between the season 
and the kind of feast being given. We 
now have luncheons and dinners with color 
schemes matching Nature's own tints for 
the season, as, for instance, violet tones for 
spring, rose-red for July, white for Christ- 
mas, pale green for Jime, and so on, to an 
infinite variety. It is a pretty idea, and 
when tastefully carried out affords delight 
to the eye of an appreciative guest. 

For limcheons given at the Easter season 
nothing is so appropriate as violets for 
decorations. The general tone of the en- 
tire table, even of the rooms, may follow 



THE QUESTION OF DECORATIONS 121 

out this plan. A faint purplish hue can be 
given to the light by crepe-paper shades 
over the chandeliers and by covering the 
candlesticks with purple ribbon which re- 
flect the glow. If it is desired to em- 
phasize it even more effectually the lace 
curtains may be temporarily lined with 
thin violet silk. The table centerpiece 
should be a flat glass dish for the founda- 
tion, filled with fresh, dewy violets and 
asparagus-fern or maidenhair. At each 
plate is a tiny individual bouquet of the 
same blossoms, tied with purple ribbon. 
Dainty little Indian baskets filled with the 
flowers, or, if preferred, with candied 
violets, are the favors, arranged on the 
place-cards. In the summer, when one has 
a chance to gather up inexpensive souve- 
nirs such as Indian wicker ware at sea- 
shore resorts it is a good idea to recollect 
how useful such things may be afterward 
and make a collection of them while op- 
portunity offers. Special stores in town 
charge very high for these trifles. 

Some adherence to the color scheme 
ought to be observed in the dessert, as ice- 
cream molded in the form of violets or 



122 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

violet-colored cakes, the icing, of course, 
making the tone. 

A July dinner may glow with roses, 
American beauties or the ordinary garden 
roses so sweet and fragrant at this season. 
Too much red here is likely to convey the 
suggestion of a hot day, something more 
comfortable by absence, so a judicious in- 
fusion of green with the roses will take 
away from the surplus of ruddy color. It 
was an English poet, I believe, who ac- 
cused his countrymen of not being fond 
enough of color and of sticking to dull, 
sober tints, although Nature constantly 
invites them to a revelry of beautiful hues. 
"Colors are the smiles of Nature," he 
remarked, and the saying is worth remem- 
bering for the rare beauty of the sugges- 
tion. It is certain that to be successful a 
color scheme must produce an impression 
that at once harmonizes with the occasion 
and yet varies it by some subtle touch of 
fancy. There must be no dull monotony. 

So, although red prevails for the July 
dinner, it will be well to get in a small 
surprise by the introduction of something 
more mellow and subdued in the matter 



THE QUESTION OF DECORATIONS 123 

of finish. Let the gowns of the young 
daughters of the house be filmy white, 
underlaid with rose, which gives the effect 
of fire under snow; or else complete the 
repast with a little transformation scene 
to the garden, where iced coffee will be 
served imder the gracious light of amber 
lanterns, deferring to, yet varying, the 
fixed tone of the occasion. 

Few among us dare undertake to make 
many innovations upon the old - time 
Christmas dinner. Always and every- 
where holly and mistletoe have played their 
part in the decorations of rooms and table 
for the dear old homey feast where good 
fellowship presides. White, red, and green 
are the only colors permitted in the carry- 
ing out of the good old fashion of a Father 
Christmas feast, but certain modifications 
in the way of refinement upon the crudity 
of our ancestors have crept in and may 
be noted. Miss Rosamond Lampman, in 
a Harper's Bazar article, gives a design for 
an exceedingly pretty centerpiece for the 
Christmas dinner-table that will suit the 
taste of those who like simplicity. 

''Take a circular piece of wood, such as 



124 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

the cover of a candy-pail, to be had of 
your grocer at this season, and make two 
small perforations, one on each side. 
Wind a piece of wire, about twenty inches 
long, with red ribbon and then with 
holly. The artificial kind which is such 
a good imitation of the real holly will be 
even better, for the stems can be bent in 
any way desired. Cover the board with 
a doily, then shape the decorated wire 
in the form of an arch and insert each end 
in a perforation, bending the wire beneath 
so as to hold it firmly in place ; hang three 
little Christmas bells at the top; conceal 
the edges of the board with a thick wreath 
of holly, and in the center of this place a 
small gift for each guest. To complete the 
effectiveness there should be four tall red 
candles in brass or glass sticks, ornamented 
with sprays of holly, and if the table is a 
large, round one there might be an individ- 
ual candle at each end. Have the dinner- 
cards bell-shape, with sprigs of holly and 
the Christmas greeting in red and green, 
and on each napkin place a crisp dinner 
roll, fold the napkin over in the shape of a 
cornucopia, and lay a bit of holly on top." 



THE QUESTION OF DECORATIONS 125 

Miss Lampman also suggests the yule 
cake as a charming centerpiece, especially 
for a great family dinner where the children 
are present. A large rotmd fruit-cake is 
thickly covered with white icing, on the top 
of which appear Christmas candies around 
a wreath of holly. Lighted candles sur- 
round it, these being removed only when 
the cake is cut. As the recipe given by 
this writer for a real yule cake is most 
practical, it is reproduced below. 

* ' Cream three-fourths of a cup of butter 
with a wooden spoon. Add two cups of 
powdered sugar, beating it in thoroughly, 
and the yolks of three eggs, beaten in one 
at a time. Then beat the whole until very 
light and creamy. Do not stir, but simply 
beat as you would the white of an egg. 
Add to it three cups of pastry flour and 
three teaspoonfuls of baking-powder. Sift 
three times and add to the first mixture, 
alternating with one cup of milk ; then add 
one teaspoonful of vanilla, one-fourth tea- 
spoonftd each of cinnamon and cloves, half 
a nutmeg grated, and two tablespoonfuls 
of maraschino syrup, beating in each in- 
gredient separately. Lastly, fold in the 



126 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Before 
beginning the cake chop one cup of seeded 
raisins and add one cup of EngHsh currants, 
one-half cup each of sliced citron and 
candied cherries. Dredge the fruit with a 
little flour reserved from the three cups, 
and mix them into the cake as lightly as 
possible. Bake in a very moderate oven 
for two hours." 

It may be well to observe here that one 
prime difficulty in our modem oven is that 
it constantly grows hotter while a cake is 
baking, and that process, for a fruit-cake 
especially, is disastrous. One way to do 
is to place the cake in an almost cold oven 
and gradually increase the heat by lighting 
half the burners under the oven. A long- 
er time is required, but there will be less 
probability of burning the cake. Two 
pans of water should always be placed in 
the oven, one on the grating above the 
cake and another on that below. By 
taking the precaution of lining your cake- 
pan heavily with several layers of paper 
the danger of a blackened Christmas cake 
may be averted. A very wise old English 
cook gave me this advice after I had al- 



THE QUESTION OF DECORATIONS 127 

most abandoned the project of baking 
large cakes at home because of the trouble 
of an overheated gas-oven. 

Jtimping from December to May, the 
suggestion of pink, with apple-blossoms as 
ornaments for the table, is a delightful 
change from winter subjects. If one has 
an apple-tree in her back yard the robbing 
of it is an irresistible temptation. Sprays 
of the exquisite blossoms, laid the length 
of the table, and tiny bouquets placed at 
each guest's place make a luxurious yet 
simple decoration that a millionaire might 
envy. The mistress of a country house has 
a vast advantage in this sort of entertain- 
ment, for it is almost impossible to buy 
sprays of apple-bloom. Failing these, the 
delicate, shy Mayflower, gathered from the 
fields, forms a most charming ornament 
for a May limcheon-table. Pale pink rib- 
bons : may be used lavishly, they being so 
inoffensive in tint that a profusion of them 
do not produce any feeling of satiety. 

A May repast can also be yellow. 
Daffodils are at once suggested as **the 
flower," and oranges should play a large 
part in the meal. Orange sherbet, cakes 



128 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

with orange icing, a centerpiece with tiny 
oranges, tangerines, or, if one is more reck- 
less, baby oranges robbed from the hot- 
houses at prohibitive prices, surrounded by 
graceful yellow blossoms, is the most ef- 
fective ornament. Little favors may be 
placed in the middle of the outer peel of 
oranges, from which the fruit has been re- 
moved without entirely breaking the form. 
Some persons are adepts in peeling oranges 
in pretty shapes, leaving the core so at- 
tached that the leaves, so to speak, of the 
peeling fall apart from the core like a shell. 
Confections of sugared-orange peel or tart- 
lets with orange-marmalade filling are ap- 
propriate desserts at a yellow luncheon. 

New ideas for weddings are constantly 
sought, and one that obtained favor lately 
for a home wedding was the daisy-field. 
The suite of rooms thrown together were 
denuded of their rugs and the polished 
floors literally strewn with numberless 
white daisies. At the end of the rear room 
was the bower for the bride, made of beau- 
tifully arranged masses of daisies, laid upon 
forked limbs of a tree, and beneath was 
placed the kneeling-stool, covered with a 



THE QUESTION OF DECORATIONS 129 

white robe embroidered in silver daisies, 
while everywhere gleamed candles in silver 
scones, all white with small yellow orna- 
ments in the most effective spots. There 
was merely enough yellow in the decora- 
tions to carry out the idea of the yellow 
daisy heart. 

The banisters of the stairs leading up to 
the guests' dressing-rooms were all twined 
with smilax interspersed with daisies, and 
in the rooms themselves were numberless 
delicate suggestions of the chosen flower 
in the way of toilet appliances of white, 
with daisies painted by hand — ^little pic- 
ture-frames similarly hand -painted and 
even bonbon-dishes made to order in the 
shape of the hardy little field flower. 
The breakfast was a daisy breakfast, every- 
thing being made to cater to the leading 
idea, and, while one guest whispered to a 
neighbor that she did not want to see a 
daisy again for quite a while, most were 
exceedingly attracted by the simplicity and 
quaintness of the design. 

Jime has long been recognized as the 
ideal month for weddings, and to Jime 
belongs the rose. A wide range of choice 



130 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

in color is offered, from creamy white to 
deepest cardinal, hut of all that which is 
probably the favorite is the pink rose, 
with its varying tints, like a maiden's 
blushes. When the wedding is at home 
the general scheme of decorations may fol- 
low somewhat the suggestions given above 
for a daisy wedding. A wedding breakfast 
following the ceremony is charmingly car- 
ried out in June with rose decorations. 
The table centerpiece may be a boat- 
shaped basket twined with roses, the lin- 
ing being pale green tulle, and the leaves 
mingling gracefully with the flowers. The 
place - cards may be hand - painted, with 
rose designs, or a more original way — the 
white squares may have a tiny bouquet of 
rosebuds tied on the upper right-hand 
comer with a knot of pink ribbon. Tiny 
silken bags filled with rose petals are at 
each plate, to be used by the guests to 
shower the bride. This is certainly a 
pleasant improvement upon the custom of 
rice showers — those hard and uncompro- 
mising pellets having not seldom been 
absolutely as harmful as small pebbles 
when thrown by a careless hand. 



THE QUESTION OF DECORATIONS 131 

The menu for a wedding breakfast is 
similar to that for a dainty limcheon, if the 
feast is held at high noon, as is customary. 
Everything should be super-dainty in tone 
and flavor; delicate dishes, such as filets 
of sweetbreads, veal cutlets, chicken tim- 
bales, and ice parfait and sherbets are 
preferable to heavy food. The bridal cake 
is always white, and is placed whole on the 
table for her to cut herself. This ceremony 
is not onerous, as the butler always in- 
serts the knife, and she has merely to turn 
it aroimd, when the cake is removed and 
cut in slices at the side-table, each guest 
being provided with a bit in a tiny box if 
it is intended to be given away in .addition 
to the slice to eat. 

Those who follow the old English fash- 
ion still have another cake, generally a rich 
fruit-cake, for the bridegroom. This may 
be a pyramid cake, splendidly ornamented, 
and with tiny Cupids on top. At a cer- 
tain wedding breakfast the writer once at- 
tended down South it was whispered by 
the bride's aunt that the cake, made at 
home and after the lavish fashion of that 
family, contained one himdred and twenty 



132 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

eggs, with a corresponding amount of but- 
ter and spices. 

When it takes place in the afternoon in- 
stead of the morning the wedding ceremony 
may be followed simply by a light tea, 
handed about by maids, and consisting of 
cake and tea, coffee, and chocolate, or cake 
with wine. A recent innovation is the 
automobile wedding breakfast, with the 
centerpiece of the table a splendid flower- 
piece shaped like a motor-car, the flowers 
everywhere in evidence being formed into 
wheels and horns, and great ropes of them 
so arranged over the bride's bower as to 
give the idea of a huge machine. Red and 
yellow are the favorite colors. 

Usually around the patriotic month of 
February, birth-month of America's two 
most distinguished leaders, women begin 
to get aroused to a sense of their duty in 
the way of Colonial entertainments. Now 
luncheons and teas after the fashion of 
Martha Washington and fancy-dress par- 
ties and old dances come into vogue again 
with unfailing regularity. A real Colonial 
limcheon is arranged after this mode: 

Cards are sent out requesting guests 



THE QUESTION OF DECORATIONS 133 

to come in the costtime of their oldest 
American ancestor. (Those who are known 
to be short on ancestors better not be 
invited.) Then everything is made to har- 
monize as far as possible with the "good 
old times" in the way of hospitality and 
service. Both hostess and servants will be 
costumed after the fashion of the eigh- 
teenth century, there will be open fires, 
all the choice relics of the family in the 
way of china and silver and arms will be 
set forth in prominence, and every bit 
of ancient tapestry, every faded miniature 
and dingy painting will be carefully given a 
good place where it may be seen and ap- 
preciated. The hour set should be about 
half after four o'clock, and the repast is 
served on a single large table covered 
with a handsome cloth of old damask. 
An appropriate centerpiece is formed of a 
toy spinning-wheel of wood all covered and 
twined about with smilax and red roses, 
this to be set upon a base of glass, made 
by laying down a small mirror, well dis- 
guised around the edges by a ruffie of white 
tulle. Or buff and blue may be chosen as 

the color scheme, when yellow roses and 
10 



134 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

blue gentians will constitute the decora- 
tions, the old spinning-wheel being adroit- 
ly fashioned of these two in combination. 
At each plate there may be a small jointed 
wooden doll, dressed in Colonial costume, 
for favor. A curious fancy is a paper doll 
with a verse of some patriotic poem printed 
on it below the menu, and wearing a sash 
of red, white, and blue. 

Wax candles should replace gas in the 
dining-room and, if possible, in the other 
rooms thrown open on this occasion. It 
will be happy if a treasure in the shape of 
some old-fashioned crystal chandeliers exist 
in the family. These should be placed 
at either end of the table, and the effect 
will be charming. Failing these, brass or 
bronze candelabra may be used. Tradi- 
tional dishes, such as baked beans, pimip- 
kin-pie, and roast pig are modernized to 
suit our more delicate appetites, but are 
still made to resemble old-fashioned recipes 
as far as may be. ''Pioneer beans," in 
little individual brown pots of earthenware, 
are not at all bad, especially when served 
as a course on dainty delf plates, flanked 
by little squares of steaming brown bread. 



THE QUESTION OF DECORATIONS 135 

''Revolutionary salad" is made of young 
cabbage chopped very fine and seasoned 
with a little onion, the sauce being cream 
dressing. Adam's punch should not be 
omitted, but the formula for this differs in 
different families, some maintaining that 
the foundation must be a pot of strong tea 
and the "filling in" a bottle of old brandy 
and another one of champagne. Others 
— and the writer is of this constituency — 
say that excellent punch may be made by 
adding to a pint of boiling water a cup of 
chopped and parboiled raisins, a cup of 
sugar, and one of orange and lemon juice, 
mixed half and half, then enrich with a 
single glassful of rum, a dash of brandy, and 
one pint of sweet new cider. This is not 
too heady, but very enlivening. 

A veritable entertainment of ancient 
times is the yellow supper of our grandmoth- 
ers. It is said that our modern pink teas 
have grown up from this. Most picturesque 
and gracious is this old feast, and wherever 
it can be revived it ought to be. The best 
setting is, of course, the coimtry house, 
especially the delightful bungalow, where 
a splendid open fire and a decoration of 



136 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

autumn boughs may be readily obtained. 
September and October are the months to 
which belongs the yellow supper, and on the 
bill of fare should appear every real old- 
fashioned dish one can conjure up. Our 
American native dish, sweet com on the 
cob, must make a course. To get the best 
flavor the ears should be only partly husked 
before boiling, a covering of the leaves 
being needed to keep in the sweetness of 
the grains. Just before serving, these can 
be stripped off and the com laid on hot 
platters and lightly sprinkled with salt. 

Mince-pies, apple-pies, baked quinces, 
and all sorts of preserves are in order. A 
superb baked ham with cider sauce is a 
dish always liked by men guests. An ap- 
propriate centerpiece is a mound of fruits 
in season, such as pears, small red apples, 
and grapes of every hue from white to 
crimson, all intertwined and mingled with 
a profusion indicating the plenty of that 
halcyon period when the earth was sup- 
posed to be more beneficent to us than now, 
when cultivation has become a science of 
supply for a growing multitude. 

All kinds of old-fashioned flowers are 



THE QUESTION OF DECORATIONS 137 

used as decorations for the yellow supper. 
Marigolds and stinflowers, goldenrod and 
goldenglow are especially in order. The 
menu cards should be written by hand on 
yellow paper resembling parchment, and the 
favors may be tiny booklets with mottoes 
or verses on them. Something suggestive 
of old times which will make conversation 
is the best idea. After the atmosphere is 
once established there will be no lack of 
topics, but just at first there is sometimes 
an awkwardness among the guests, a little 
at a loss how to comport themselves when 
suddenly taken back to a remote genera- 
tion. 



VIII 

FOR THE CHILDREN 

I. Children's Luncheons 

A CHILD'S party affords , almost un- 
limited scope to the ingenious hostess 
in the way of table decorations, so many 
simple and tasteful devices can be con- 
trived at slight expense, and so many 
unique ideas can be worked out without 
much expense for centerpieces and favors. 

A pretty table may have as a central 
decoration a Jack Horner pie, while the 
ever-alluring Brownies play a conspicuous 
part in the general scheme. The pie is 
contrived from a large, rather deep tin 
pan covered with pink tissue-paper. A 
sheet of the paper is fitted across the 
top of the pan to simulate the crust, 
while three additional sheets are pleated 



FOR THE CHILDREN 139 

around the sides to afford a covering as 
well as an attractive finish. A plain band 
of the paper is placed around the bottom 
of the pan to hide the edge of the side 
covering. The pie serves as a receptacle 
for the favors, which are hidden from view 
by the paper crust. Mystery is ever al- 
luring to little folks, and the knowledge 
that the pie contains some souvenirs of the 
occasion which they cannot have until the 
luncheon is over will help keep their in- 
terest keen until the party is at an end. 

Arranged as though just emerging from 
out the pie are a number of little Brownies. 
A narrow pink ribbon extends from each of 
these quaint figures to a place-card, which 
represents a tiny maid, in white sun- 
bonnet and pink pinafore, with a little 
market-basket on her arm. Attached to 
the Brownies' feet, and hidden within the 
pie, are the favors, which consist of diminu- 
tive market-baskets filled with pink and 
white candies. 

In the center of the pie stands a large 
Brownie, holding in his right hand a 
small candlestick equipped with a tiny pink 
taper. Grouped around the bottom of the 



I40 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

pie are several additional Brownies, some 
of them not more than two inches in height, 
and at intervals tiny walnut boats are 
placed, each provided with a small pink 
taper. These boats are made from ordi- 
nary walnut-shells, washed clean and left 
undecorated, and the tiny candle is held in 
place by dropping a bit of sealing-wax into 
the shell and fitting the taper into the wax 
before it hardens, holding it firmly for a 
moment. The effect of these taper-holders 
is unique, constituting a pleasing diversion 
from the familiar candlesticks. 

The Brownies are easily made, and their 
cost is practically nothing. A piece of an 
old brown stocking will serve as a covering 
for the body, and a bit of chamois will 
make the head and hands. Take two bits 
of the stocking, sew them together, leaving 
one end open, and stuff with cotton wool. 
Then fasten seciu-ely the open end. To 
the body thus contrived attach the head, 
made from a piece of chamois, on which 
eyes, nos^, and mouth have been sketched 
with pen and ink. The head is stuffed 
with cotton wool much in the same man- 
ner as the body. The ears are tiny bits of 



FOR THE CHILDREN 141 

chamois, and the cap is a piece of the 
stocking, shaped in any manner desired 
and sewed to the head. The arms and 
legs are made from three or four thicknesses 
of wire covered with pieces of the stocking, 
and the hands are bits of chamois attached 
to the arms. The wire arms and legs per- 
mit of the arrangement of these members 
in any manner desired. Of course, if one 
does not wish to take the time to fashion 
these queer little figures they can be 
readily purchased; but if one has a little 
leistire time she will find the work fascinat- 
ing, and then, too, the expense will be 
considerably lessened by using the home- 
made ones. The bonbon-dishes are sim- 
ple white paper baskets adorned with nar- 
row pink ribbons and fitted with small 
ribbon-wound handles tied with tiny bows 
in the center. Small glass candlesticks 
equipped with pink candles adorn the 
table corners. The color scheme of the 
whole is pink, brown, and white. 

The question of what to give the little 
folks to eat is one that bothers many 
hostesses. Food that is appetizing and en- 
tirely digestible must be provided, but what 



142 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

it shall consist of is often puzzling. Fol- 
lowing is a simple menu that may be of 
some assistance in helping to solve this 
difficulty : 

Orange Punch 

Sandwiches Olives 

Creamed Chicken Rolls 

Grape Salad 

Lemon Sherbet Fancy Cakes 

Fruit Glace Chocolate 

2. Birthday Dinners 

Mothers sometimes say: "What can we 
do to please a child who has always had 
everything? What new thing can be in- 
vented to arouse the jaded appetite that 
has been too much indulged ?" Simple com- 
mon sense suggests that a little deprivation 
would be the best stimulant. Pleasure is 
largely an affair of contrast with dullness, a 
quite simple surprise sometimes creating 
more interest for us than an elaborate 
affair that is merely a multiplication of all 
that has gone before. The world is not 
complicated enough to furnish that in- 
finite variety which can charm the veteran 
society woman or infant or make either 



FOR THE CHILDREN 143 

believe that the pastime suggested is not 
"stale, flat, iinprofitable." With children 
the two best rules for happiness are these : 
simplicity and surprise. Without a daily 
diet of the first the second is not possible. 
In this respect the English method of 
much denial and sparce dissipation in the 
nursery makes for ultimate enjoyment and 
healthy maturity. In our country the 
children of the very rich, who have English 
governesses and spend a large part of the 
year at their country places, where the 
yoimg people live out of doors and learn 
sports instead of running daily to the 
theater and to dances that are in reality 
miniature balls, are better reared than the 
offspring of our great middle class that 
makes money-spending the chief occupa- 
tion. The rich young citizen of our larger 
cities sees too much going on all the time to 
be stirred by an additional excitement, and 
on the occasion of a birthday or when 
Christmas comes around ingenuity is ex- 
hausted in devising novelties on his behalf. 
Far happier is the child of our French 
neighbor who is clad in a school uniform 
most of the year and eats bread and a bit 



144 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

of chocolate for his goilter and a plain roast 
for dinner, ordinarily, so that the prospect 
of a lovely little dinner with a company of 
friends, served in coin^ses like mother's fine 
dinners, has an appeal that delights his 
imagination. 

Supposing that the child we are catering 
for has not been spoiled by over-indulgence, 
a birthday dinner may be made a pleasant 
affair at not too great a cost of time and 
money for his parents. One great element 
in the gratification will be to throw much 
of the responsibility on the young person 
himself or herself. We will assume that it 
is a girl who is the object of consideration. 
The mother should have small invitations 
prepared, either printed or written, on 
sheets of paper that come especially for 
such occasions, with pretty and quaint 
pictures on one comer, taken after Kate 
Greenaway. The making out of the list of 
guests is always a matter of interested dis- 
cussion, and here a wise mother finds oppor- 
tunity to slip in some excellent suggestions 
upon the desirability of regarding acquaint- 
ances as eligible from the standpoint of 
character rather than for their distinction 



FOR THE CHILDREN 145 

socially. But the day of -exorbitant ex- 
pectations of youthful magnanimity has 
gone by, and the narrow old tales that Sam 
Weller called ''moral pocket-handker- 
chiefs" are now relegated to the relic heap. 
Such a tale once was the cause of consider- 
able mental disturbance to myself because 
the moral of it all turned upon the extraor- 
dinary heroism of a pretty little maid who 
renounced the delight of wearing her 
dainty muslin gown at her birthday party 
and disguised herself in a dingy brown 
calico in order that a certain poor but 
charming friend might be put at ease. I 
could never bring myself to see the sense 
of the thing, because it would have been so 
much more practical to have loaned the 
friend a costume, or to have made it up to 
her in some other way, rather than to have 
put all the rest of the party out of counte- 
nance and have cast a reflection upon the 
generous mother who had bestowed the gift 
of a lovely frock for the occasion. 

But there is a golden mean of generous 
feeling and common sense, and the nattu^al 
child will readily find it out for herself 
when a little subtle pushing in the proper 



146 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

direction is made. When the party list is 
satisfactorily completed, next comes the 
mailing of the invitations, the excitement 
of waiting for replies, and then the inter- 
change of ideas upon the important sub- 
jects of the menu for the little dinner 
and the after-entertainment. The first de- 
pends a great deal upon the season. Holi- 
days suggest their own appropriate ideas, 
although to bring in something new and 
quaint is sometimes a serious task. The 
Christmas table is less difficult in some 
respects because the favors may be the 
Christmas gifts, and consist of beautiful 
dolls for the girls, of mechanical toys for 
the boys. They will be arranged above 
the plates, standing against a tall candle- 
stick which has a colored lantern made of 
crepe paper, the tone matching the general 
color scheme. It is generally safer to make 
this red or pink, the favorite colors of 
childhood. Little gifts may be slipped 
into tiny baskets to be held by the dolls. 
A child delights in the treasure within a 
treasure and finds charm indescribable in a 
nest of boxes, all leading to the cunningly 
hidden gift at the heart of them. Gifts 



FOR THE CHILDREN 147 

too large for the table may be suspended 
from the chairs by bright ribbons, and 
there should always be a special bag of 
bonbons for each guest, no matter how 
much of the pernicious sweet is displayed 
upon the table. It is a particular priv- 
ilege whose absence will be certainly re- 
marked with disappointment. 

To entertain the youthful guests while 
the feast is going on is the most difficult 
problem, but one device has been found 
especially helpful. ''Where a large party 
of older children are entertained at din- 
ner, it is possible to offer them a new 
guessing-game to which the recently per- 
fected character doll lends itself charm- 
ingly. At each place may be stood a doll 
that is typical of a different nation; the 
costume should indicate even more than 
the doll's face the country to which it 
belongs. A child will greatly enjoy guess- 
ing the nationality of the dolls and take 
much pride in naming the greatest number 
correctly. Sometimes a prize is given to 
the one making the largest number of 
correct guesses, but all prize-giving ought 
to be managed most adroitly, or heart- 



148 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

burning instead of enjoyment ensues for 
most of the little guests. To bring in 
emulation always both increases excite- 
ment and admits the chances of jealousy. 
Mothers must decide this for themselves.'* 

Spring and summer dinners are prettily 
managed by having the dessert served in 
the garden, which is immediately turned 
over to the possession of the guests as 
recreation-grounds. Everything that is 
meant to be the pastime of the afternoon — 
for the dinner ought to be set for an early 
hoiu" — ought to be arranged very care- 
fully ahead of the arrival of the little 
guests, so that that tedious interregnum 
when whispers go about — ''What are we 
going to do now?" — may be avoided. 
Old-fashioned games are again in vogue, 
and if they are not known to the mother or 
young hostess some good manual must be 
procured and studied in advance, so that 
there may be confident leadership when 
the emergency comes. 

One novelty that was lately introduced 
should be noted. It is a musical Christmas 
tree, which is not only illuminated by 
electricity, but makes music as it revolves 



FOR THE CHILDREN 140 

upon its stand — a large box in which is con- 
cealed the melodic mechanism. As the 
tree turns the music steals softly forth. 
A mtiltitude of lights, revolving as the tree 
moves, produce a wonderful effect. This 
is all very well as a casual amusement, but 
curiosity is soon satiated, and children 
desire to do something themselves rather 
than to stand and gape at a wonderful tree. 

J. Quaint Nursery FStes 

Stories that can be acted out ftimish one 

of the most popular pastimes for children. 

Pantomime is used, which does away with 

the necessity for scenery. If the season is 

winter and the background a suite of 

parlors, let the audience be seated as for a 

grown-up performance, toward the fore, 

while the children assemble in the rear 

room. The office of stage-manager ought 

to devolve upon some one experienced in 

the art of entertaining young people, for 

he or she is the arbiter of the success of the 

whole affair. Recently there has grown 

up a new profession for women — that of 

manager or entertainer at private houses. 
11 



ISO NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

One such personage is known to the 
writer as a remarkable instance of what 
ingenuity and diplomacy can effect in the 
social world. When a would-be hostess is 
at a loss for ideas she merely telephones 

for Miss and secures her services to 

arrange the entertainment of such-and- 
such an evening; then she may fold her 
hands and await events with perfect con- 
fidence that everything will move smoothly 
and her entertainment be delightful in its 
way. 

But failing such a genius, the mother 
mUvSt depend upon such assistance as can 
be gained from an experienced friend, 
sometimes a young teacher accustomed to 
drawing children out and getting them 
interested. An amateur pantomime with 
the motive drawn from fairyland is nearly 
always much liked. The nursery-rhyme 
opera has come in since "The Blue Bird" 
captivated the world. Quaint old songs 
have been set to music, so that a number 
of them may be purchased and quickly 
learned by the little guests sufficiently 
well to sing while the acting is going on. 
When the pantomime begins to grow 



FOR THE CHILDREN 151 

wearisome the song recital should be at 
once suggested, as nothing stirs up jaded 
interest like music in which all participate. 

One excellent suggestion is to have the 
play begin by the descent of an airman 
and passenger from a flying-machine paint- 
ed on a screen placed at the back of the 
scene. A large sheet answers the purpose, 
or even a piece of black cloth, with the 
sketch roughly made with white chalk. 

The idea is to have the audience suppose 
that those who are about to furnish the 
amusement have descended upon the 
scene from some lonely star, and, since 
there is nothing else to do, they must make 
the best of this earth with which they are 
unacquainted. Let the people come from 
Mars, and then they may be painted with 
a grotesqueness that will highly amuse the 
children. To carry out the little play to 
the fullest extent the airmen may hear 
the music coming from fairy bells and, 
believing themselves upon fairy ground, 
pretend to fall into a sleep so that they 
shall be privileged to see the fairy folk at 
play. Then may come the chosen fairy 
romance, such as ''Cinderella," "Prince 



152 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

and Dwarf," ''Ricket-with-the-Tuft," or 
similar nursery drama. 

To complicate matters and bring in the 
element of astonishment there may be two 
sets of actors: the one airmen, sleeping 
on the ground after they have descended 
from their flying-machine and watching the 
fairies at play, and suddenly awakening to 
mingle with the little green folk and be 
treated by them according to their desserts, 
as listeners and peepers. 

Music should be the constant accom- 
paniment to the nursery dramas, proceed- 
ing from the background of the stage. It 
will be of great assistance in influencing 
the feelings of the little audience and 
should be really artistic and sympathetic, 
as otherwise it will fail of its effect. 



4. Popular Games, Old and New 

A favorite game with children is "United 
States Mail," a variation of the ancient 
"Stage Coach" which young and old used 
to enjoy together. A room of good size 
is needed, and all breakable furniture 
must be removed. Let the number of 



FOR THE CHILDREN 153 

seats be one less than the company. A 
postmaster is chosen, and he goes the 
round among the seated guests, giving 
each one the name of a city, which he 
writes down on his tablet. The train is 
then supposed to start out, and the post- 
master, who must keep up a little running 
narrative about the route, calls from time 
to time the name of a stopping-place. 
As one is called the child bearing that name 
jumps up and turns around. The fim is in 
making the journey as rapidly as possible, 
so that names may roll from the postmas- 
ter's tongue, compelling the one bearing 
it to spring quickly up and secure his seat 
before the postmaster, who is on the alert 
for rest, can slip in. But the cream of the 
joke is when the mail is robbed, as must 
occur at some lonely mountain pass, the 
postmaster rapidly calling forth all the 
names of the places to which letters have 
been addressed along the route, and when 
he says ''Shoot the road-agents!" there is 
a wild scramble among all the children, 
every one jumping up and striving to 
secure another seat. One will, of course, 
be left out, and it will probably not be the 



154 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

former postmaster. Then the one who is 
in the cold will become the narrator of the 
story, or postmaster. 

The "Topsy-turvy Concert " is good fun. 
It is for children over ten years, and, as 
far as possible, they should be of the same 
size. The room is divided by a large sheet, 
behind which stand the musicians, a num- 
ber of children with the most grotesque 
costumes imaginable — stockings drawn 
over their hands, shoes tied about their 
necks, trousers awry, and petticoats at all 
angles. One sings a verse of a popular 
song, and at the end all the others make 
curious gestures with their heads and 
arms, ducking, wriggling, and lifting their 
arms above their heads. At the same 
time they sing the chorus of the song. To 
the audience in front of the sheet they 
appear like mad creatures, and the amuse- 
ment is usually of a hilarious character. 
A singing-master may be stationed in front 
of the curtain, carrying on with voice and 
action all the extravagances of an old-time 
singing-teacher at a country concert. 

Easter parties are much liked by the 
young folks. The hero of the occasion is 



FOR THE CHILDREN 155 

Master Bunny, and the cards of admission 
are eggs, made of sugar and prettily tied 
with colored ribbons. The host is dressed 
to represent a rabbit, while the guests all 
come in a spring costume, either animal or 
vegetable. Some may be robins or kit- 
tens or puppies, others wistaria in a 
purple traihng gown, or roses or May- 
flowers or buttercups. The better way is 
for the girls to be flowers or plants, and the 
boys animals. Dancing and simple games 
fill up the time before the feast, which is 
the funniest part of the occasion, as the 
fancy costumes make the characters, and 
the children like to act them out during 
the afternoon, especially during the time 
they are at table. 

An ingenious mother will have the table 
decorations partake of the nature of the fete, 
tiny sugar animals making the favors, and 
the little place-cards being shaped like 
spring flowers and hand -painted. No 
great art is necessary to make simple but 
pretty menu cards for a child's party, as 
graphic portraiture is the one essential, 
not fine finish. The center of the table 
should have a big bird's nest, made with 



156 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

candied orange-peel for the foundation and 
filled with sugar eggs. A toy hen sits on 
the nest, and if elaborate preparations for 
the party are in order a musical hen is a 
feature that will certainly create a great 
deal of amusement. The children should 
be encouraged to join in with the airs, as 
this breaking up of the inevitable restraint 
attendant upon a repast where the mother 
presides helps toward happiness. It is a 
better plan for the mother to be in evidence, 
but not seated at the table among the 
little guests. Her presence will then be a 
wholesome influence, but not a dampener 
of enthusiasm. 

The Hallowe'en frolic is too well known to 
be described here. The only novelty that 
could be introduced would be in the matter 
of elaboration of the customary details of 
fortune-telling in a mock wood. A leader 
is a judicious thing to have, as otherwise 
there will be disorder and doubt of how to 
proceed. A large cake containing a ring, 
an old English sixpence, and a thimble is an 
essential part of the interest. To the one 
getting the ring in her slice, marriage to her 
taste is promised; the thimble-gainer will 



FOR THE CHILDREN 157 

die a spinster or bachelor; the sixpence 
promises plenty of money throughout the 
year. For the mother who does not object 
to turning her house upside down for the 
night, it is suggested that a miniature 
forest be created in the drawing-rooms, 
with a carpet of moss and shade-trees of 
palms in pots. A fairy lake can be made 
with a large mirror, and guarded from harm 
by shrouding palms. A gipsy tent where 
an old witch sits to tell fortimes is a 
popular feature. To amuse children a 
little knowledge of the modem ''gay 
science" of palmistry is an excellent de- 
vice. The smattering of the art is easily 
learned, and a fair reader of character can 
easily improvise stuff that will please the 
children without either flattering too much 
their amour propre or mortifying their self- 
respect. 

Historical and literary entertainments 
are often chosen for children's clubs, and 
only differ from other school entertain- 
ments in being more sprightly and in- 
dividual. Teachers manage them with 
much adroitness, as a rule, and every eve 
of a favorite holiday has its special fea- 



158 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

tures of speeches and songs, as a George 
Washington Day, a Lincohi Day, or a 
Forefather's Day, etc. 

For the social club of very young people 
a less serious aspect may be given to the 
historical evening by having it a character 
play, the speakers being garbed in ap- 
propriate costumes, and afterward inviting 
the company to supper as if at their own 
house, they being the hosts. A juvenile 
"stag" supper in a boys' club is ordinarily 
a pleasure, while the girls' club imitates 
mothers' musicales and political gatherings 
in a quite vivid representation of mature 
ideas. 

Thus, when ''the world is young," it is, 
after all, closely related to the play instinct 
of the grown-up people who long to partake 
of the pastimes of youth. There is no 
distinct line of demarkation between the 
two groups when pleasiure-seeking is the 
motive that rules. Old games are made 
interesting by the introduction of some 
very little novelty, and the newest thing 
under the stm merely reproduces a dead 
and forgotten custom. 

To be a child is to be credulous of all 



FOR THE CHILDREN 159 

the wonders of Nature as well as of art, 
to rejoice in the idea of fairyland, and be 
charmed with the grotesque and absurd. 
Whoever can descend from the dignity of 
maturity and become as a child for an 
evening is sure of the rich reward of 
furnishing delight to any party of little 
ones, for with children a little sincerity and 
enthusiasm is worth all the sham hospital- 
ity in the world. 



IX 

NOVELTIES IN BREAKFASTS AND SUPPERS 

PEOPLE who have lived for a little 
while abroad usually come back home 
prepossessed in favor of the Continental 
idea of the midday breakfast. On awak- 
ing in the morning the breaking of the 
night's fast is merely a cup of tea or coffee 
and a roll, then the business of the toilet, 
or more practical business, takes up the 
period between nine and noon, when the 
family assembles in the dining-room for a 
leisurely hour together. 

To the literary and artistic class such a 
division of time is a desirable thing, as it 
saves the distraction that ordinarily breaks 
into a fresh morning. To the mother of a 
family, however, there may be too much 
personal indulgence in it. One instance 
exists of a distinguished authoress whose 



BREAKFASTS AND SUPPERS i6i 

husband was a physician in receipt of a fine 
income, and who therefore not unreason- 
ably beHeved that he might have the 
privilege of a family provider in the 
company of his family, completely immur- 
ing herself each morning, refusing to be 
either seen or spoken to before a two- 
o'clock repast. The additional two hours 
claimed led to a separation between the 
pair. The lady thereby secured her in- 
dependence, and has justified her stubborn- 
ness by a brilliant literary success. Noth- 
ing has since been heard of the husband, 
but it is to be hoped that he has joined a 
good club where he may have congenial 
company at an early breakfast. 

Turning the early limcheon into a late 
breakfast has led to some new features in 
the way of informal entertainments. It is 
now a custom for a woman who wishes to 
give such informal breakfasts or luncheons 
to send out to her intimate friends at the 
beginning of the season invitations to her 
"fixed luncheons" on some particular day 
of the week. She then gives her orders for 
the entertaining of a certain number of 
guests on such days, and takes no more 



i62 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

thought for the matter, being sure of a 
little society if she has the capacity to 
please her guests the first time they meet 
around her table. Such an informal and 
agreeable way of passing a morning is 
eagerly seized, and any woman with a well- 
regulated household and some leisure may 
avail herself of such an opportunity to 
gather about her a few agreeable people at 
an hour when wits are at their freshest and 
stiffness an almost impossible quantity. 
A simple, dainty menu is in order, with 
fruits and meats in season, rather than 
extravagance in the supply, which at once 
turns the little occasion into an exchange of 
compliments between hostess and guests. 
A recent English fad is ''breakfast be- 
fore bed," a fashion that hotel-keepers 
are blessing. A gay brigade of pleasure- 
seekers, after a round of cafe suppers, with 
dancing and music, make a raid upon the 
nearest hotel and begin a *'dawn break- 
fast" in the cold gray light of the morning, 
at a time when sober workmen are leaving 
their homes for the day's labor. As clubs 
close at five o'clock in the morning and the 
spirits of revelers are not yet exhausted, 



BREAKFASTS AND SUPPERS 163 

they find it an imposition to receive any 
suggestion of bed, so the dawn breakfast 
is hailed with enthusiasm. Hotel-keepers 
have arisen to the emergency and now 
supply the materials for the jolly simrise 
feast, usually bacon and eggs and beer! 
However, one is not limited to that, but 
may have peach melbas or a cup of hock 
if preferred. This new fashion has one dis- 
advantage for the restaurants, as it has 
put luncheons out of date, and nothing 
intervenes between the dawn breakfast and 
the five-o'clock tea, for the merry night- 
hawks betake themselves to their beds 
immediately after their sunrise revel and 
sleep the sleep of the wearied pleasure- 
seeker till late in the afternoon. 

This fad can only be followed in the 
land of commerce, as ours is termed, by 
idlers and irresponsibles. But to do a 
thing once or twice is not to be wedded to 
the habit, and for the mere sake of novelty 
any one may enjoy for the nonce a night of 
amusement and a jolly dawn breakfast with 
his intimates without breaking any of the 
laws. How convenient it may be to have a 
hotel menu to select from at five o'clock in 




dS^ 



^^S^^rZfyxA. 



i64 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

the morning was brought in upon me 
lately, when I became suddenly aware 
that a young collegian visiting New York 
and having the "time of his life" broke 
his fast for the first time that day at a 
five-o'clock tea which was brought in at 
the sequence of his afternoon call at my 
house. He had made the round of the 
cafes the night before, taken a hasty nap 
between six and ten, hurried into his 
motor for a jaimt out of town, missed 
luncheon, and arrived in a state of wild 
hunger civilly concealed just after the 
family limcheon had been put out of 
sight. His astonishing condition of ex- 
haustion when the tea-urn was brought in 
revealed the situation, and then he first 
learned of the newly imported custom of 
the ''dawn breakfast" and the discomfort 
that might have been saved if he had 
known the right place to visit. 

Of the number of special breakfasts, to 
spread the popularity of some particular 
fad, there is no end. One hostess, ear- 
nestly imbued with the pure-food craze, ex- 
tended invitations to a dozen friends to 
take a hygienic breakfast with her at noon 



BREAKFASTS AND SUPPERS 165 

on a certain day. Everything that has 
been devised in the shape of health foods, 
at least as many varieties as could be 
crowded into the space of time, appeared in 
due course, all exquisitely prepared and 
adorned with such pomp and ceremony as 
cotild lend to simple things a fictitious 
richness. '*The saving grace of it is the 
fruit," whispered one weary woman, sa- 
tiated with creamed cereals. But at least 
there was a splendid feast of reason and 
ample material for talk in the discussion of 
different preferences and tastes. 

There is the old-fashioned coimtry break- 
fast, with sausages and corn-muffins, or 
fried chicken and baking-powder biscuits, 
hot from the oven. A city hostess, wishful 
to swim out of the ctirrent of precedent, 
invites any number of convivial spirits to a 
''country breakfast" at the favorite hoiu* 
— noon — and prepares for that entertain- 
ment by a supply of fresh coimtry prod- 
ucts, the service to be, preferably, colored 
maids in bandana kerchiefs and big white 
aprons. Hot waffles are a favorite dish, 
and excellent maple syrup should be pro- 
cured or made at home from the sugar, 
12 



i66 NOVEL WAYS OP ENTERTAINING 

as this is an inseparable accompaniment. 
Much trash is on the market yclept maple 
syrup, and it is safer to dissolve the sugar 
at home. To one potmd of the sugar add 
half a cup of hot water and let it come to 
a simmer, then turn into a silver pitcher, 
previously heated. Waffles should be but- 
tered the instant they are off the irons and 
served with a speed only to be achieved 
by one thoroughly convinced of the per- 
ishable quality of these delicate prepara- 
tions. 

After the breakfast a tour in the ma- 
chines is in order, or if that is not con- 
venient there may be a turn at billiards 
or some old-fashioned game. Anything to 
vary the monotony, for the least dash of 
originality is accepted with eagerness and 
not criticized if it affords amusement. 

Never was entertaining less conventional 
than at present. There is a kind offureur 
for new pastimes, and the less stiff and 
stately the more popular. 

The Bohemian breakfast is a studio 
feast, prepared in chafing-dishes and merrily 
eaten from Httle tables, on paper cloths, 
with paper napkins and such omamenta- 



BREAKFASTS AND SUPPERS 167 

tion as can be garnered from the wealth 
of an artist's den. On one there may be 
an ancient bronze candlestick, on another a 
quaint drinking- vessel filled with flowers, 
while a small plaque, painted with bold 
strokes by the host or hostess to represent 
some suggestion of the hour's merry- 
making, will give glory to another. In- 
stead of this, little scenes cut from artistic 
calendars are sometimes surrounded with 
flowers and stood upon the center of the 
small table, even on a base of looking- 
glass. We have gone back to childhood so 
far as to borrow some of the nursery toys 
to help us out, and for a Christmas break- 
fast at the studio there is nothing too 
absurd to serve as a table decoration. A 
Santa Claus in white, scattering eatable 
bonbons, is not to be despised. But after 
the tables are removed the tango, accom- 
panied by the banjo or mandolin, comes 
in, and fim fast and furious convinces the 
other dwellers of the house that a studio 
breakfast is a thing of revel. With break- 
fasts at dawn, or else at noon, tea while on 
the wing, so to speak, and "dinner the next 
day, " it seems a difficult thing to get in a 



i68 NOVEL WAYS OP ENTERTAINING 

real solid supper. But the function still 
exists and is popular because it affords a 
chance for some of the wildest fantasies 
that have ever entered into the mind of the 
entertainer. 

In the search for something new we have 
hit upon the ''magic supper," a thing 
fantastic enough to justify the charge 
brought up that latter-day entertaining 
has borrowed somewhat from that epoch- 
making book, Alice in Wonderland. The 
magic supper is a witch's repast, to all in- 
tents and purposes. The first thing to do 
is to estabUsh an uncanny atmosphere 
by the use of blue lights concealed behind 
white draperies. There is neither gas 
nor electricity, but candles everywhere, all 
binning blue, so that a shivery feeling may 
be produced in the company very quickly 
after entering the cool rooms. A magic 
fire, artificially produced by a few bits of 
scented wood burning in a brass kettle, is 
necessary, and to make the counterfeit the 
more real boughs are artfully crossed be- 
neath the pot. The fire sends forth a light 
smoke. The decorations of the room are 
things of ghostly suggestions; bats, owls, 



BREAKFASTS AND SUPPERS 169 

mice, cats (all thin and black) are pro- 
fusely scattered about, as pictures and in 
toy form, and somewhere there must be a 
large picture representing the old Salem 
witch riding on the traditional broom- 
stick. In one comer should be a fairy 
pool, made by a mirror embedded in green, 
and from the nursery are borrowed such 
absurdities as dolls clothed in gauze to 
represent fairies. Or else there should be 
provided a gipsy tent, with some one 
gifted in the art of palmistry and clothed 
like a veritable witch to tell the fortunes of 
the guests. The craze for this species of 
entertainment is extraordinary. Very few 
persons will confess to a faith in any species 
of fortune-telling, yet firm must be the will 
that refuses to be led away by the tempta- 
tion to have the palm read even by the 
veriest tyro in palmistry. 

To make the magic supper absolutely 
successful, professional entertainers should 
be provided. Negro minstrels are some- 
times funny, but more often tedious. If a 
pretty, gay Httle singer can be secured 
with a repertoire of all the latest ragtime 
melodies and a gift at the mandolin, the 



I70 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

success of the evening is certain. This is 
the one unfailing resource, for even those 
who are bored to extinction by real music 
are entertained by the active, lively chant- 
ing sometimes miscalled singing. 

The progressive dinner, a thing of terror 
to the dyspeptic and the conservative, has 
been succeeded by the progressive supper, 
and is given over to the youthful reveler 
who can stand a strain upon nerve and 
muscle for a while yet. Usually a party 
get together, under the chaperonage of an 
intrepid, healthy matron who is entirely 
up to date in sympathies and is gifted with 
extraordinary tact and sense of humor. 
Otherwise she will never stand the strain. 
Motors are engaged, or if the party is small 
— six being a favorite number — a touring- 
car suffices, and, having previously made 
all arrangements with certain cafes, the 
pleasure-seekers start out about ten o'clock 
and stop at the first restain-ant for soup or 
oyster cocktails. En route, and the next 
stop gives the fish course, another the 
entre, then roast, game, dessert, and, 
finally, at the best and most recherche of 
all, comes coffee and dancing. It is a veri- 



BREAKFASTS AND SUPPERS 171 

table carrying out of the ancient boast that 
"We won't go home till morning, till day- 
light doth appear," for the jaded faces 
of fresh young women sometimes wear a 
ghastly look when the betraying light of 
dawn creeps over the sky as they crawl from 
their machines to the portals of their homes 
and are admitted in silence to their waiting 
beds. "Oh, but they are not the girls of 
the night before!" ejaculated a young man, 
sotto voce, to a comrade as the pair with- 
drew from the night-long attendance upon 
a tribe of lovely maidens. And it is not to 
be wondered at, perhaps, that the friend 
rejoined, "That's what they get for want- 
ing to keep it up with us." 

"Bridge we have always with us." 
Whatever may come or go, the card-lover 
will merely assent to a slight variation of 
the old program, but firmly adhere to the 
indispensable regulations that make the 
bone and sinew of the good party at cards. 
Whether it is progressive euchre, five hun- 
dred, or auction, the general routine of 
the entertainment is ordinarily the same. 
The affair may be held in the afternoon or 
at night, at the private house or a club, 



172 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

but the great feature is the prize, the reg- 
ulations almost invariable. Card -tables 
large enough to accommodate f otir persons 
at each one are provided. They may be 
hired, along with the light chairs, at a 
caterer's or an upholsterer's, but they are 
not to be used afterward for refreshments, 
these being placed upon the dining-table 
in the dining-room, or handed about, if 
the party is more informal. The hostess 
should, of course, have sufficient fresh 
packs of cards to accommodate the entire 
party, as nothing is more distasteful than 
much-handled cards. 

For those games that need to be marked 
well-sharpened pencils must be on hand, 
together with small tablets or the regular 
score-cards. To provide any other sort of 
entertainment for card-players is a super- 
fluity; they usually rather resent than 
thank one for such an attention. 

But a supper-party, at a reasonably early 
hour, to be followed by cards, is ordina- 
rily Hked. The prospect of a good game 
whets the appetite of the guests and makes 
them merry. After - refreshments, to be 
served near midnight, after the first eager- 



BREAKFASTS AND SUPPERS 173 

ness of the fight is over, are in order, and 
should consist of claret cup, or ices, sand- 
wiches or cake, and if the season is winter 
some substantial thing Hke lobster salad. 
It is to be observed that card-players usu- 
ally have a fair digestion! A salad that 
would appal a tango-dancer is received 
with perfect sang froid by the bridge 
"fiend." 



X 



THE NEW DANCES AND THE YOUNGER 
GENERATION 

I. The Tango, Turkey-trotting and Bunny- 
hugging 

THERE is only one indisputable evi- 
dence of age — not gray hair and 
wrinkles, but an intense disapproval of the 
young. Just at the moment when the 
older generation reaches middle life and 
the younger maturity this difference begins 
to show itself, and has done so probably 
since Cain and Abel came of age. In 
America the difference is peculiarly marked, 
for to the diversity of age is added a diver- 
sity of prosperity; and fathers who look 
back to a childhood in which a single pair 
of shoes was disputed between them and 
their brothers hear with some confusion 
their sons arguing in like manner the dis- 



THE NEW DANCES 175 

position of the family motor. Not only 
parents, but civilization, gives with a more 
lavish hand than it did thirty years ago. 
No wonder the middle-aged are standing 
by in some anxiety to see how youth is 
going to use its opportunities. 

Imagine a maiden aimt, a belle, let us 
say, of twenty years ago, transported after 
a long absence into a ballroom of the past 
winter. She would be struck at once by 
many changes — a lesser formality, a greater 
gaiety. The old-fashioned cotillion of her 
day would be gone; there would be a 
smaller number of couples in the conserva- 
tory, shorter pauses between the dances, 
and a general businesslike air that dancing 
and only dancing was the order of the day. 
It may be that if our supposititious aunt 
were a sentimentalist, as maiden ladies of 
fifty are apt to be, she might regret those 
empty conservatory comers and feel that 
something of romance and something of 
dignity had disappeared, and that the en- 
tertainment had more the quality of a 
child's party than a full-fledged ball. 

If it were given imder the most correct 
auspices, her regrets might go no further. 



176 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

If not, she would presently be surprised to 
see, as the band began a strange, synco- 
pated measure, that the couples were no 
longer dancing in the attitude to which she 
had been accustomed — the woman's left 
hand on the man's shoulder and her right 
hand out from her body. Both the 
woman's hands would be on, or even 
dangling over, the man's shoulders, while 
with steps imitated rather from the buz- 
zard than the turkey the couples oscillate 
instead of circling. 

In other words, she is witnessing for the 
first time one of the new dances, so called 
because no one cares to remember to what 
primitive times and emotions they may be 
traced. 

And presently, as she watches, a middle- 
aged gentleman, a former partner of her 
own, approaches, and adds the weight of 
mascuhne opinion to her own growing 
horror. "Have you ever seen such an 
exhibition ?' ' he whispers in her ear. ' ' Im- 
agine what your dear mother would have 
said ! Why, I can remember at the Chicago 
Fair feeling apologetic to all the ladies of 
my acquaintance for merely having wit- 



THE NEW DANCES 177 

nessed such dancing. And, of course, you 
know that in Paris — " 

The aunt is deeply distressed. She has 
always been terrified by the merest sug- 
gestion of wickedness. Driving home, she 
tries to explain the situation to her niece, 
tries to quote a modified form of the 
opinion of him whom she describes as "a 
complete man of the world." But as she 
talks she finds to her surprise that, as is 
so often the case, the protest is more cor- 
rupting than the offense. She finds her- 
self taking refuge weakly in the complaint 
that the new dances are not very graceful 
to watch. 

"Perhaps not, but they are great fun to 
dance," says her niece, cheerfully. 

The aunt tries another tack. She has 
taken some comfort throughout the even- 
ing in noticing that her niece danced 
with only one partner. She says aloud: 

"The young man you danced so con- 
stantly with — he is an old friend of yoiu-s, 
I suppose?" 

"Oh no," says the girl, "I really hardly 
know him. I think I've heard he was en- 
gaged to Helen. But our steps suit, and 



178 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

nowadays, you know, one has to have a 
dancing affinity.'' 

The rest of the drive is taken > up in 
explanation of the term. 

Perhaps if the hostess of the evening had 
been of the older school the maiden aiint 
would have been spared all this suffering. 
Orders would have been left in the dress- 
ing-rooms to explain to all arrivals that no 
turkey-trotting and bunny-hugging would 
be allowed. And if some one exercising 
undue influence over the leader of the band 
had contrived to get him to play ''rag," 
it would have been stopped instantly, and 
for those barbaric intervals would have 
been substituted the rhythm of the good 
old-fashioned waltz. 

To the aimt this will perhaps seem the 
most surprising of all, that the waltz, 
which one hundred years ago was the hor- 
ror of parents, which even in her time a 
few ultra-well-brought-up girls were not 
allowed to dance, has now become the 
refuge of propriety, the parent's assistant. 
What, she wonders, would Byron say if 
he could see the dance which^^i^p:tfesented 
all that was indecorous,jta-^s 



h 




THE NEW DANCES 179 

summoned to restore the tone of a ball- 
room? History, indeed, repeats itself, and 
it is not a little amusing to read the letters 
of a hundred years ago on the subject of 
the new dance of their time. 

Thomas Raikes says in his Personal 
Recollections: "No event ever produced 
so great a sensation as the introduction of 
the German waltz. Old and young re- 
turned to school, and the mornings were 
now absorbed at home in whirling a chair 
around the room to learn the step and 
measure of the German waltz. The anti- 
waltzing party took alarm, cried it down, 
mothers forbade it, and every ball-room 
became a scene of feud and contention." 

"My cousin Hartington," writes Lady 
Caroline Lamb, "wanted to have waltzes 
and quadrilles, but at Devonshire House 
it could not be allowed, so we had them 
at Whitehall. All the bon ton assembled 
there continually. There was nothing so 
fashionable." 

Yet Goethe makes Werther assert after 
waltzing with the respectable Charlotte, 
"I felt if I were married my wife should 
waltz with no one but myself." 



i8o NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

In 1 8 13 Byron's bitter and hardly re- 
peatable poem appeared: 

But ye — ^who never felt a single thought 
For what our morals are to be, or ought; 
Who wisely wish the charms you view to reap, 
Say — would you make those beauties quite so cheap? 
Hot from the hands promiscuously applied, 
Round the slight waist or down the glowing side, 
Where were the rapture then to clasp the form 
From this lewd grasp and lawless contact warm? 
At once love's most enduring thought resign. 
To press the hand so pressed by none but thine; 
To gaze upon that eye which never met 
Another's ardent look without regret; 
Approach the lip which all, without restraint, 
Come near enough — if not to touch — to taint. 
If such thou lovest — love her then no more, 
Or give — like her — caresses to a score. 

Yet in spite of everything waltzing made 
its way, and before long we hear of the 
Emperor Alexander waltzing round the 
room at Almacks "with his tight uniform 
and numerous decorations," and of Lord 
Palmerston ' ' describing an infinite number 
of ^circles with Madame Lieven." 

The parallel seems complete, and many 
people, particularly those imder twenty, 
see in it absolute proof that the protectors 



THE NEW DANCES i8i 

of to-day are wrong and that a hundred 
years from to-day the tango will be ac- 
cepted as unquestioningly as the waltz. 
They see, in a prophetic vision, some 
hostess now in the cradle stopping some 
undreamed-of melodies, and ordering that 
"rag" be played, so that the "pericon" 
may take the place of some even more 
revolutionary dance of the future. There 
are always people who believe that the line 
of progress is straight, not spiral, who 
never look for any reaction and expect the 
pendulum to swing always in the same 
direction. It is one of the obsessions of a 
leisure class — ^an obsession fostered, per- 
haps, by the press — that they really set 
the example for good or evil to the rest of 
the country. 

To these people the present changes 
which we have been noting represent 
nothing more than an alteration in ball- 
room manners — exactly similar to the al- 
teration produced by the introduction of 
the waltz. But the similarity is very su- 
perficial. A hundred years ago in England 
the number of people who did or did not 
waltz was but a handful — influential, per- 
13 



i82 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

haps, but small. The revolution was 
merely one of manners and limited to a 
small class. When, finally, the Court took 
to waltzing the prestige of that sanction 
was sufficient to settle the whole ques- 
tion. 

In this country we have no inner circle. 
There is no group that can impose its 
manners and customs — in spite of the 
brilliant pages of the society reporter. 
And if there were there would be no 
unanimity within the group. One hostess 
would allow what another forbade. Yet 
there is a consensus of the general good 
sense of communities that makes laws. 

In this country any manifestations con- 
fined to a small body of the rich and 
fashionable has merely a transitory in- 
fluence. In the present case we are deal- 
ing with something very much more im- 
portant, something on a very much larger 
scale. 

Some twenty years ago the idea of cheap 
and, if possible, clean amusement for the 
poor and moderately well-off became for 
the first time a commercial and philan- 
thropic idea. We have had as a result 



THE NEW DANCES 183 

the new Coney Island, Revere Beach in 
Boston, run by the state itself, moving- 
picture shows, five -cent theaters, music 
in the parks, recreation piers and play- 
grounds, and the cheap magazines. Nor 
has the movement been limited really to 
the poor. Motors, many more theaters, 
novels, shops, have done exactly the same 
thing for the rich. Enjoyments which a 
few years ago were limited to a handful of 
people are offered to thousands. 

The shops put clothes within the reach of 
great multitudes of women which thirty 
years ago would have been accessible only 
to that comparatively small number who 
got their things in Paris. Fashion has 
taken advantage of the situation and 
grows continually more complex to corre- 
spond with our more complex life. Nowa- 
days we must have different clothes for 
motoring, for winter and summer sports, 
different slippers and stockings for every 
gown, different furs for different occa- 
sions. 

An enormous increase in luxury and in 
the opportunity for enjoyment is open to 
yoimg people, and one of the great ques- 



i84 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

tions of the hour is how they are going to 
use these opportunities — wisely or fool- 
ishly, greedily or discriminately. Their 
parents cannot help them, for no such 
choice was every open to them; and even 
those who have got beyond saying '*It 
was not so in my day" can have little 
true insight into a situation so entirely 
alien to their own youth. 

Everywhere we hear the same cry, the 
same warning. Everywhere we hear the 
middle-aged mourning, on the one hand, 
that the younger generation is lax and 
indecorous; on the other, that romance is 
dead. 

The two complaints gain significance by 
being considered together, for they are two 
aspects of exactly the same change. There 
is truth in both. Mid- Victorian romance 
is dead or dying, and there are some of us 
who would be perfectly willing to hurry its 
obsequies. The romance based on mystery 
and artificial barriers, the romance which 
has for its object the idealization of the 
commonplace, has dreary work surviving 
in the clear air of the twentieth centiiry. 
False mystery — if that be one's key to 



THE NEW DANCES 185 

happiness — does not flourish in the factory 
or the coeducational college ; not even, per- 
haps, in the modern ball-room. 

But let us have at least the qualities of 
our defects. If we are less provocative, 
we are more level-headed. If we have less 
romance, we have more companionship, 
and many things may be allowed to 
comrades not permitted to romanticists. 
Neither ever understands the other. Yoiu: 
liberty is ugly and improper, says the 
romanticist. Your barriers are suggestive 
and unnecessary, says the good comrade. 
And the lookers - on sympathize, incon- 
sistently enough, first with one and then 
with the other. 

There are a hundred examples. We, in 
our latitudes, would be shocked to find 
that a daughter of ours was being admired 
in her window evening after evening by an 
unknown gentleman stationed on the other 
side of the street. We should say that an 
introduction to her parents and a visit to 
her house were the correct preliminaries to 
a courtship. But such a suggestion would 
outrage the sensibilities of many Spanish- 
Americans, who would consider a visit to 



i86 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

the house of a young girl the height of 
impropriety, and who, if they could not 
gaze at their inamorata behind her barred 
window, would feel indeed romance was 
dead. 

We are bound to believe that the per- 
sonal equation enters into such considera- 
tions. Very possibly the mid - Victorian 
would have thought it untemperamental 
to keep his head in situations which do not 
in the least stir the blood of his grandson 
— not, perhaps, because the grandson is 
necessarily colder, but because the situa- 
tion is less portentous. There was an age 
when a lady could not walk out unattended. 
Many of us remember a time when the 
appearance of a woman in Wall Street 
drew upon her a very disagreeable sort of 
attention. If the fact that to-day thou- 
sands of women pursue their business down- 
town entirely unmolested be a proof that 
romance has perished, why, it is a demise 
under which many of us can bear up 
remarkably well. 

Whether we like it or not, the fact 
remains that the young people of to-day, 
whatever their social environment, are ob- 



THE NEW DANCES 187 

taining more and more liberty — of enjoy- 
ment, of occupation, and of education. 
And to those of us who think it both un- 
lovely and dangerous this same liberal 
education, in the case of girls at least, 
gives us hope. If to-day they are called 
upon to make serious decisions as to their 
personal conduct, they are at least better 
educated to do so. They can no longer be 
terrified by the great ''My dear, if you 
really imderstood — " argument. They are 
prepared to understand. They have stud- 
ied sociology, though their parents have 
not. 

Their schools have taught them a cer- 
tain responsibility to the community which 
their grandmothers never heard anything 
about. They are capable of reading with- 
out imdue confusion a scientific history of 
dancing and of realizing that, however pure 
their own hearts, they are treading ground 
where ptuity of intention is not the ul- 
timate standard. They read the papers, 
they work on welfare committees. The 
literature of social and philanthropic or- 
ganizations is at their disposal. 

The report of the Juvenile Protective 



i88 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

Association, of Chicago, on the public 
dance-halls begins thus: 

"Young girls all over the world require 
and want recreation. ... In all oin* large 
cities the two agencies run for commercial 
reasons which draw the largest number of 
young people are the theater and the 
dance-hall. It is estimated that about 
thirty-two thousand children attend the 
moving-picture shows in Chicago, but the 
dance-hall is even more popular, and at- 
tracts some evenings as many as eighty - 
six thousand young people. Young girls 
go to these dances because they crave the 
excitement of the dance. It is an outlet 
for their emotions, it affords a forgetfulness 
of fatigue, and it is a safety-valve for their 
surplus energy." 

After making eleven recommendations as 
to how city ordinances might improve the 
situation — of which one would prohibit 
the sale of liquors in dance-halls (a reform 
already accomplished in New York) and 
prevent immoral dancing — the report ends 
with these words : 

' * If there could be established in Chicago 
a Department of Recreation, and if we 



THE NEW DANCES 189 

could secure the passage of a city ordinance 
regulating the dance-halls as above sug- 
gested, then the dance-halls will cease to be 
places where decent young people are too 
often decoyed into evil, and where mere 
search for pleasure so easily leads into dis- 
grace, disease, and crime." 

Such a report as this makes salutary 
reading for our privileged girls. After all, 
is their situation different? Is the ques- 
tion of their own personal conduct so very 
much easier to decide? It is true that at 
private balls champagne is given away, 
instead of a cheaper form of alcohol being 
on sale; in one case we have chaperons, in 
the other police inspection. But in both 
cases enough liberty of action is allowed 
for the young girl to take her own risks and 
make her own decision. 

There is a story that one of the great 
restaurateurs in whose ball-rooms many 
of the private balls are given has notified 
certain mothers that it is the custom of 
their daughters to take a turn about the 
park in their motors between saying good 
night to their hostess in the ball-room and 
meeting their maids in the dressing-room 



I90 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

just before dawn. True or not, such a feat 
is perfectly possible. We no longer sub- 
ject our young people to constant sur- 
veillance. The girl who used to weave 
in the home now works in the factory. 
The young lady who never stirred without 
a parent now goes to parties luider the 
uncertain protection of a maid often no 
older than herself. 

Indeed, in some ways it seems as if the 
daughter of the tenement could get more 
intelligent advice than is open often to the 
daughters of the rich. The necessity of 
keeping a job teaches a prudence not to 
be learned in private schools. The social 
worker is a wiser counselor than a foreign 
governess. Parents in the small (and 
happily decreasing) group of our imen- 
lightened rich, who bring up their daugh- 
ters to look forward to coming out as the 
great climax of their Hves, who take them 
out of school at eighteen in order that they 
may yield themselves more completely 
to the great experience, who allow them to 
see that the whole machinery of life is 
directed to the sole end of their enjoyment, 
ought not to be very much surprised if 



THE NEW DANCES 191 

they sometimes take this enjoyment in 
ways not always to the taste of the older 
generation. 

2. Latest Parisian Craze 

A new dance has been invented by 
Mme. Valentine de Saint-Point, the poet- 
ess. It is called the "Muachorie," and 
is supposed to represent the geometrical 
ideals of the Cubist. 

She designed the dance to interpret her 
lyrics, and says that a half-turn and a 
lifted foot mean certain lines in her poems, 
while the throw of an arm in the air and a 
short slide on the floor mean: 

''I will die on my fete-day, while pup- 
pets dance — while they cry aloud all of 
forbidden gaiety, I cry nothing." 

The author of the dance gave an exhibi- 
tion recently to a select company. Her 
face was veiled — for the expression must 
not interfere — and she also wore a costume 
of thin veils in the Merovingian fashion. 

She had first impregnated the room with 
perfumes, which many in her audience 
found almost unsupportable. The atmos- 



192 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

phere was thus filled with idealism, she 
said. 

M. de Max, Mme. Bernhardt 's leading 
man, seated on the floor, recited her ''Poem 
of Love." Soon a bizarre geometric figure 
appeared on the screen. It was like a 
Y with sharp angles. 

This was the geometric expression of 
the poem which was being recited, for the 
poetess affirms that there is a geometrical 
figure corresponding to every phrase and 
every thought. This was the basic idea of 
the dance. 

The poetess then appeared in a pale-blue 
light and transcribed in a dance the geo- 
metrical figure just seen on the screen. 
Her dance corresponded to the angles of 
the figure, which, in turn, corresponded to 
the passionate sentiments rendered in her 
verse by M. de Max. 

After the angles she showed parallelo- 
grams, then came isosceles triangles. These 
represented ''Poems of Atmosphere" and 
"Poems of Warriors." 

She then danced in a way to express 
first atmosphere and then war. One 
thing seemed certain: this superdance 



THE NEW DANCES 193 

will not rival the tango, for it is too com- 
plicated to be generally relished. 



J. The Controversy 

English society women have been fiercely 
divided on the subject of the propriety of 
the new dances. The Queen long since 
pronoimced her boycott against the tango, 
and her opinion was adopted by many 
conservatives, but her severe condemna- 
tion was not sufficient to drive the 
objectionable dance out of favor. The 
Duchess of Norfolk, Lady Coventry, Lady 
De Ramsey, and other social leaders 
strongly object to it off the stage, rating 
it as an immodest and suggestive exhibi- 
tion unfit for yoimg girls in society. But 
Lady Trubridge is an earnest defender of 
the dance, seeing nothing at all improper in 
it, a view also taken by Russia's Grand 
Duke Michael, who took lessons from an 
expert and is said to be an enthusiast. 
Perhaps one of the most serious objections 
comes from that experienced and sincere 
critic. Father Bernard Vaughan, who ob- 
serves : 



194 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

*'It is not what happens necessarily at a 
tango tea that so much matters as what 
happens after it. I have been too long 
with human nature not to know that, like 
a powder magazine, it had better be kept 
as far as possible fireproof." 

Paris first went wild over the tango. 
There is scarcely a musical program for 
the smallest entertainment without the 
promise of the after- dance. One had al- 
most said aftermath. For, according to 
the sane expression of Father Vaughan, it 
is the wildness that ensues at the sequence 
of a feast full of the stimulating suggestions 
of unrestrained liberty that loosens the 
sensible restraints society has always seen 
fit to impose on dissipation. In Italy the 
Church has made a particular point of 
fighting the ** immoral dance." It is pro- 
noimced especially dangerous for morals, 
and Christian families are earnestly en- 
joined to forbid their young people from 
participating in it. The severest denim- 
ciation yet pronoimced comes from the 
Archbishop of Lyons, who says, "This 
abominable dance kills virtue and gives 
rein to every appetite." 



THE NEW DANCES 195 

Justice, tempered with indulgence, 
speaks from the mouth of the Duchess de 
Rohan, who observes: *'The tango has 
nothing indecent about it. I do not see 
why people should be shocked by it. Of 
course, it can be danced immodestly, and 
there are always ill-bred people who will 
dance it so." 

The trouble is, there are more ill-bred 
people in the world than modest people, 
and a mad dance is a method of intoxica- 
tion that it is dangerous to allow. It is 
true that the way a thing is done alters its 
whole complexion. There was a certain old 
gentleman, general in our army, who de- 
lighted to show off his acrobatic talents in 
the bosom of his family, and nothing could 
be ftmnier than the dignified way in which 
he turned handsprings — as if somersaults 
were a pious duty. One would have 
blushed to look at his fine white hair again 
until with his shapely hand he had 
smoothed down the disordered locks. 
Only studied compliments greeted the con- 
clusion of those performances. But the 
competitive athletics of an active imcle 
never failed to provoke teasing comments 



196 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

tinctured with good-humored contempt. 
Is not a handspring always a handspring? 
Some persons can make going to church an 
act of hostility toward their kind; others 
turn the most vapid amusement into 
gentle conciliation of acquaintances. The 
personality that is put into anything 
makes its character, and reformers should 
direct their endeavors toward improving 
the tone of mind of thoughtless people, 
so that the natural outcome of their high 
spirits will never degenerate into license. 
Suppression is not so sure as education. 
The old-fashioned waltz can be made quite 
as indecent as the newest fancy dance, given 
persistent effort on the part of the par- 
ticipants. But there is little doubt that 
what the tango stands for, in name and 
movement, expresses something wild and 
unbridled in humanity that calls for pause 
and reflection. The *'let go" is dangerous 
with young people, in whatever form it 
occurs, and it would be better if outdoor 
sport could be made to meet the needs of 
modem living for complete liberty, instead 
of having our ball-rooms turned into 
scenes that make onlookers argue over the 



THE NEW DANCES 197 

propriety of giving countenance to what is 
momentarily occurring there. 



4. Pageantry 

The influence of the Modernists is far- 
reaching; it has attacked the foundations 
of beliefs and of customs. One of its later 
aspects is the suggestion of medieval 
pageantry applied to evening entertain- 
ments. Society women in our large cities 
are now seriously considering what period 
to assign to their evenings, making them 
take on the coloring of the Louis XIV., 
the Victorian, the Henry IV., and so on. 
Always there is a background for the 
brilliant scene, a ''setting," just as if the 
parlors were, for the nonce, a stage, where 
certain history was to be enacted. Archi- 
tects design the setting, and carpenters and 
builders carry out ideas so extravagant that 
nothing but their entrancing novelty saves 
them from the severest criticism. Every 
woman of fashion has in her wardrobe 
several costumes harmonizing with the 
period most popular during the season. 
And wonderfully expensive and splendid 
14 



198 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

are these gowns and their make-up. Artists 
are earnestly engaged in designing beauti- 
ful dresses corresponding with certain his- 
torical periods, and nothing is left undone 
that can add realism to the fantasy in 
vogue. 

At New York magnificent balls are given 
at leading hotels with such historical 
settings, and troupes of *' noble dames" 
parade the halls in ravishing costumes that 
recall the most brilliant days of the French 
court. But Europe is almost thrown into 
the shade by the temptation of the Orient, 
that fairyland which seems to have com- 
pletely captivated the imagination of the 
Western people lately, and of which they 
cannot have enough to satisfy their desires. 
A ''Shah dance" is one of the latest fads, 
with a setting of Persian tone and all the 
guests costumed as men and women of the 
Far East. What the dances are it may be 
rather conjectured than described. Yet, 
despite their wild attempt to achieve entire 
freedom in this direction, the impulses of 
our well-gained American poise prevents 
any of our young people from being as 
unbridled as they imagine they are. The 



THE NEW DANCES 199 

leading authority upon the subject has 
latteriy pronounced as a final word that 
he ''has never really seen the tango danced 
in society." What is believed to be that 
questionable thing yet remains the prop- 
erty of the stage. 

Perhaps with the impulse toward his- 
torical settings some of the old and beau- 
tiful dances, like the minuet and the ga- 
votte, may come in again, and Orientalism, 
which is a weed in our fields, may be up- 
rooted and cast away. ** Backward, oh, 
backward, turn time in its flight," and 
give us the sane, the good, and the really 
beautiful things that once made life 
lovely and desirable and women attractive 
to men through qualities too often hidden 
now by frantic follies, but ever vital and 
real, and never more so than in this period 
when to the splendid strength and devel- 
opment achieved by courageous effort is 
added the gentleness of conscious power. 



XI 

SIMPLE RECREATIONS 

I. Going A-Gipsying 

IF you should happen to be motoring 
through some part of England in the 
eariy spring or autumn and encounter a 
great farm-wagon of singular aspect, loaded 
not with hay, but with very old-fashioned- 
looking individuals with a suspicious air of 
artlessness about them, do not mistake the 
vehicle for a smuggler's cart. It is, in all 
probability, a party of very aristocratic 
merrymakers out for a good time in the 
newest of- old ways, the ''going back to 
Nature" idea carried out with every im- 
provement that can be devised. As one of 
the new ragtime songs says, "His artless- 
ness was art," and the white curtains that 
hang about the heavy wagons drawn by 
fine horses make a mere pretense of con- 



SIMPLE RECREATIONS 201 

cealing a load of pretty damsels and 
youths, or their maturer compeers in fun, 
released for the day from the fetters of con- 
ventionality and out for a frolic in the open. 
Wagon-picnicking is one of the latest 
crazes, scarcely as yet become popular in 
this country, but likely to be, since we have 
better facilities over here for such pastimes 
than there are abroad, with the one ex- 
ception of perfect roads, and these are 
being established each day. To "steal 
awhile away" from society and with a 
party of congenial spirits go out with one's 
luncheon in a basket under the wagon-seat, 
and a demure servant squeezed up behind 
somewhere to do the hard work of the 
revel, is a charming frolic, and one that 
appeals to young and elderly alike. The 
weather must be consulted before the pic- 
nic is undertaken, although in England 
light rains are matters of complete indif- 
ference. Tam-o'-shanter caps and mack- 
intoshes make clouds and downpour 
things to be laughed at. Here, where we 
get our rain by the bucketful, it is different. 
Old Probability must be regarded with 
respect, and a day selected when the sun is 



202 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

at least likely to peep forth part of the 
time. The kernel of the fun is ''roughing 
it," not only in semblance, but in reality, 
so in matter of costume practicability is 
consulted. Walking-gear is chosen, as to 
get out of the wagon and tramp is part of 
the enjoyment. A choice may be made 
between purchasing food of the farmers by 
the way and cooking it in the miniature 
kitchen, which is part of the wagon outfit, 
or eating at the wayside inns that dot the 
road. The jaunt may be prolonged for 
several days, the picnickers sleeping in the 
wagon on hay or rough couches, and mak- 
ing their toilets as their primitive fore- 
fathers did in days when the world was 
younger. 

Perhaps the idea came into being to 
harmonize with the rage for camps of 
every description at this date. Certainly 
it is sane in the feature of making for 
hardihood and endurance in those who 
participate in the outdoor jaunting. And 
with a cultured, good-humored tribe let 
loose in the fields with the avowed purpose 
of unconventional fun, there is small likeli- 
hood of dullness or disappointment ensuing. 



SIMPLE RECREATIONS 203 

"Yes, a big farm- wagon or van is part 
of my equipment for the entertainment 
of my house-guests this summer," an- 
swered a society woman in response to 
some queries. "The dear young people 
think it a high froHc to don their rough- 
shod uniforms and go out for a road spree. 
They take a cold luncheon with them, but 
always vow that they will cook their own 
meals ; so I provide a small oil-stove, and 
always pray that Adela — my own girl — 
may return without having singed off all 
her eyebrows bending over the thing. I 
notice that they one and all appreciate a 
decent repast when they get back home. 
So the craze has its uses." 

This is the view of sober maturity, but 
the younger generation could give a more 
enthusiastic description of the day's outing. 
What good stories were told by the brother 
home on his vacation from Old Nassau; 
what capital songs were improvised under 
the inspiration of the balmy air after a 
solid luncheon of fried sausages, bought at 
the near-by farm-house, and helped along 
by a draught of new cider from the same 
friendly source ! Little romances sprouted, 



204 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

encouraged by the simplicity and candor of 
the fields, that had begun to languish in the 
hothouse atmosphere of the billiard-room 
the night before. John reflected that 
Adela had never looked so womanly and 
sweet as when with flushed cheeks she had 
timidly pressed him to try her chocolate 
and pancakes and asked him if her apron 
was not becoming? The chaperon was so 
flattered and spoiled and so well amused 
that she forgot to keep her eyes open after 
the party halted in the evening and 
lit camp-fire to roast their chestnuts and 
elate their spirits to the pitch of completely 
unconventional expression. Of all the plays, 
going a-gipsying affords the least fatigue 
for the mind, and the bodily fatigue is 
healthful. 

2. A Winter Sport 

The Scotch game of ''curling" is becom- 
ing popular with us, and amateur golfers 
are going wild over it. Clubs are estab- 
lishing curling - ponds, and matches are 
played during the cold season when tennis 
and ball are not to be considered. Wher- 
ever there is a stream of moderate size a 



SIMPLE RECREATIONS 205 

curling-pond may be arranged at small 
expense. The game is most fascinating 
and holds the interest from its competitive 
character. Sometimes several contesting 
games are played at the same time. 
Every one may engage in it without regard 
to age or condition. Indeed, the demo- 
cratic nature of the game is one of its 
attractive features. The millionaire hob- 
nobs with the ground-keeper, and with true 
Scotch spirit meets others as ''man to 
man," heedless of artificial distinctions. 
Occasionally the Scotch dialect is pur- 
posely employed to give the thing a tang. 
But if its popularity holds out it is certain 
to become Americanized to such an extent 
that we will forget to copy either the 
speech or the ways of our British cousins 
in pursuing the sport. 

So long as sport draws men together on 
the simple plane of competitive prowess 
there is little danger of an oligarchy in our 
overgrown country. When strain of mus- 
cle is the test, dollars sink into insignificance, 
and the spontaneous admiration of some 
manly feat warms the most reserved na- 
ture. How quickly an affected girls finds 



2o6 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

her level on the golf -ground! And how 
soon the veneer covering a mean nature 
rubs off! There is no touchstone of char- 
acter more certain than the strenuous 
game which tries the temper and muscles 
alike. Physicians are saying that golf 
prolongs life. Probably, as it necessitates 
much persistence in taking exercise, some- 
thing the people who are not required by 
their business to do wickedly neglect. 
Professional men and women are finding 
golf a boon for this reason, and the active 
youths and maidens who see in it merely 
one form of interest may devise something 
else more exclusively their own property 
if the middle-aged take to it so enthusias- 
tically. A certain old gentleman of York- 
shire boasted at seventy that he owed his 
fresh cheeks to his unfailing daily walk of 
seventeen miles, taken for pleasure as well 
as for profit. The English have always 
been rather ahead of us as walkers, with 
marked exceptions. But golf may stimu- 
late a new desire to ''sprint " with ease and 
enjoyment. 

"Get out!" sternly said a blunt physi- 
cian to a languid lady patient who was be- 



SIMPLE RECREATIONS 207 

moaning her inability to rise from her 
chair without pains in her joints. After 
her astounded irritation had yielded to re- 
flection she obeyed the literal injunction 
and — got out of her chair and the house. 
Many of us will not go out of doors in 
winter excepting upon the temptation of 
amusement. And with the increasing 
cheapness of taxi-cabs walking is a last 
resort. But golf obliges the putting foot 
to the ground and makes unflagging ac- 
tivity a condition of admission to the fas- 
cinating game. It is now asserted that age 
has nothing to do with golf. If a man or 
woman has the use of their legs, candidates 
they are, and ma}^ enter into the sport as 
actively as the youngest there. A veteran 
president of a well-known club entered in 
at eighty-two, and vindicated his right to 
do so by his good playing. This is cer- 
tainly encouraging to those of us who are 
still under seventy. 

5. Pretty Snow and Ice Sport 

At a certain delightful country house 
where one is always sure of having some 



2o8 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

new and agreeable thing proposed to 
while away evenings a surprise was sprung 
upon a dozen young guests lately. Imme- 
diately after the late dinner a number of 
sleds or toboggans were brought to the 
porte-cochire and everybody bundled onto 
them. The request had previously gone 
forth for a provision of heavy wraps, and 
in the miniature sleighs additional furs 
were found. There were Httle woolen caps 
also, and those in the secret had seen to 
it that an equipment of blood- warming 
things in the shape of apparatus for 
bouillon was present. A small alcohol- 
stove with aluminum kettle filled with that 
refreshment had been stored at the back of 
the larger sled, together with a dozen or 
more tiny cups. The caravan, conducted 
by servants enveloped in furs to their 
chins, then proceeded swiftly to the little 
artificial lake in the park, which was il- 
luminated by numberless candles placed 
in the branches of the surrounding trees. 
Frozen hard, the sheeted lake glittered like 
a fairy pond, and immediately a concealed 
band of music struck up a marching tune 
as the admiring guests descended from 



SIMPLE RECREATIONS 209 

their vehicles. There was a shout of de- 
light as they "caught onto" the idea of a 
dance in the open, and the skates that 
had been privately conveyed to the scene of 
action were drawn forth rapidly and a gay 
rout began. Between dances cups of hot 
bouillon were handed about by the ser- 
vants, and the candles burned steadily for 
a couple of hours. When the revelry was 
at its height a sudden fanfare of horns 
brought all to a halt, and there came upon 
the scene a great sleigh drawn by four 
ponies and containing several grotesquely 
costumed persons resembling witches. A 
tall form stood up, demanding: ''What 
are ye doing on this, my territory? For a 
punishment I shall have you all conveyed 
at once to my castle and made to partake of 
a feast there prepared." Then a big tent 
that had been previously hidden in the 
darkness of the farther shore sprang into 
evidence, all aglow from the splendid fire of 
logs in front of it. Signs of festivity shone 
out, and the merrymakers with gleeftd 
shouts made for the scene of a midnight 
supper, spread forth with no other illumi- 
nation than that afforded by the spent 



2IO NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

candles and the wonderful bonfire, fed in- 
dustriously by constant supplies of light 
wood. Never had cold fowl and salad and 
coffee tasted better than after that dance 
on the frozen lake. But the essence of the 
pleasure was the surprise of it all. 

4. Shall We Fly? 

Well for this generation that the sober 
men who ruled Old Salem are no longer 
in authority, or else the tentatives of some 
of us might meet with the penalties that 
attended irreverence and audacity in those 
days. How would our grandmothers, also, 
have regarded the suggestion of flying? 
But other times, other ways. It is not 
impossible that the persistent resolve to 
find out some way to rise above the earth 
had its origin in certain dreams with which 
most of us are familiar, when we are lifted 
bodily out of our weighty submission to 
gravity and are invested with the power of 
being light as the air. It is a most de- 
licious sensation! Anyway, invention is 
ever active on this point, and it is beginning 
to appear as if practical results are in sight. 



SIMPLE RECREATIONS 211 

Venturesome women everywhere are tak- 
ing courses in the art of flying, and the 
question is agitated seriously at meetings, 
Shall we not all learn to fly? Instructors 
have sprung into being, and they claim 
that the art is one that all can acquire 
safely. 

Flying-parties are not unknown things, 
and competition is creeping in. A bright 
spirit has offered prizes to her guests, on 
the flying-field, for flights of a certain 
limit. The mode is to have the party 
assemble on a chosen spot, free, of course, 
from trees and other impediments to aerial 
locomotion when wings are at hand, with 
expert instructors to adjust them and give 
lessons to all not familiar with the modus 
operandi. Music is provided, as in battle, 
to inspire faint hearts with courage, and 
as soft strains from bugle and fife ascend, 
the daintily clad bodies of lovely girls rise 
on the air and begin their flight to regions 
above. It is a touching sight, and one a 
mother will not soon forget, to see her 
adored daughter in the process of being 
elevated through such frail agency over 
her head and beyond the reach of her pro- 



212 NOVEL WAYS OF ENTERTAINING 

tecting arms. After a while, when the ap- 
pliances have been perfected, the danger 
will be less and enjoyment not tinctured 
by terror of accidents. But at the present 
hour flying must be regarded with some 
doubt, even by the more hardy of us. 
Aeroplane parties are growing more com- 
mon, and there is no longer a grand scramble 
on the streets when one is sighted in the 
firmament. A race in the air is something 
the writer only knows by hearsay, her 
most exhilarating experience having been 
a simple flight in a balloon when she was 
younger and more venttuesome than to- 
day. But the sensation is one so well re- 
membered and so unique that the jaunt 
seems like one undertaken only yesterday. 
Perhaps before so very long the new pas- 
time will become an irresistible tempta- 
tion even to the sober-minded, and flying 
will cease to be a novelty. 

But one cannot help asking what we are 
going to do about it. After flying is ex- 
hausted, then what? 



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